


Steele Something There

by NorahBolt56



Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2020-10-13 07:22:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 50,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20578682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorahBolt56/pseuds/NorahBolt56
Summary: This is a stand alone piece (another 'alternate RS universe' to my other ones) which poses the question what if Remington and Laura had got married for real and had a child, but unfortunately didn't stay together? Would that spark between them ever truly die? Read on to find out.. :)





	1. Chapter 1

“When’s your Dad flying in?” Laura asked her almost thirty year old daughter, Olivia, as they sat at a café drinking coffee, trying to appear nonchalant as she did so. “This afternoon,” Olivia replied with a small smile, her blue eyes that were so like her father’s twinkling a little mischievously at her mother. “What’s that look for?” Laura asked with a laugh. “Nothing”, Olivia replied seemingly innocently but her mother knew her better than that. “I thought you would have realised by now that’s not going to happen sweetheart – your father and I are not getting back together,” Laura stated adamantly but her strong willed, stubborn daughter was not about to leave it at that.

“He’s not seeing anyone at the moment,” Olivia stated as she raised an eyebrow at her mother and stirred her coffee. “Well that’s his problem,” Laura retorted as she gave Olivia a look that told her daughter that line of conversation was finished. “Okay, okay,” Olivia conceded with a laugh as she put her hands up in a gesture of surrender. At that Laura sighed a little – even after all these years he was still getting under her skin and he wasn’t even there! “Sorry Liv – I’m just a bit tired that’s all,” she tried to brush it off as she rubbed her forehead a little. Olivia looked at her and said, “Even more reason why you should think about cutting back your hours at the agency Mom.”

“Nonsense! I hope you’re not suggesting I’m getting old,” Laura replied with a dimpled smile that was mirrored by her daughter. “Wouldn’t dream of it Mom. You know you sound like Grandma when you say that,” she teased her, knowing that would get a rise out of her. “I do not!” Laura protested indignantly, wishing somewhat ruefully that her and Remington’s daughter hadn’t inherited his talent for pushing her buttons.

As Olivia grinned mischievously at her, Laura couldn’t help remember Remington grinning at her the same way and she wondered, not for the first time, where it had all gone wrong. Oh they had been happy for quite some time once they finally admitted how they felt about each other and then they got married for real, which was a much better wedding than their first ‘unofficial’ one aboard a tuna boat. Olivia had followed, albeit unexpectedly, not long after and Laura had thought all her dreams had come true. Remington was a wonderful father and a devoted husband but after a few years cracks started to appear. He’d wanted more children but Laura, although she loved their daughter with all her heart, was happy with just the one. Instead she’d focused her energy on expanding the agency as a legacy for their daughter but Remington didn’t see it that way. The way he saw it, she was always putting the agency before her family. The arguments that they’d always had from time to time became more frequent and then Remington would shut her out, sometimes for days at a time, reverting somewhat to his ‘old self’, which got to her more than their arguing did. And then as Olivia got older and understood more of what was going on, they both realised they didn’t want to expose her to that. Laura had grown up in an unhappy home and the last thing she wanted was for her daughter to do so as well. So although they still loved each other they got to the point where they just couldn’t live together anymore.

Their divorce was amicable enough – Laura had felt sad more than angry really, and disappointed in herself that she hadn’t been able to make it work. And if there was one thing Laura Holt hated to do it was fail. That had been almost eighteen years ago. They agreed to share custody of Olivia and Remington had gradually reduced his involvement in the agency as working together had become rather awkward. He had eventually handed the reins back to her and moved back to London. Their paths had crossed sometimes over the years – that was inevitable given they shared a child - at birthdays, graduations and the like. And if she was being honest with herself there had been times when she’d wondered if they’d made the right decision - try as she might she couldn’t help feeling some of that same old spark whenever she saw him. And damn him, he seemed to get even better looking if that were possible over the years – he had aged like a fine wine.

She had had a few relationships with other men after the divorce but nothing serious – she knew deep down in her heart that none of them could compare to him. It had been a few years since she’d had a relationship though – at the end of the day it just felt like too much effort, so as was her way, she had focused her energy on her work, and on her gorgeous, talented, artist daughter of course. She knew Olivia still lived in hope that one day her parents would reunite, but Laura felt there was too much water under the bridge between her and Remington for that. She had her life and he had his and that was just the way it was. Now here they were about to celebrate their daughter’s thirtieth birthday – where had those years gone? Laura wondered to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile, Remington sat on the plane as it circled LAX, nervously chewing on a fingernail as he looked out the window. It always felt strange coming back to Los Angeles, even though he’d lived there for the best part of twenty years of his life. But he hadn’t just lived there – he had made a new life for himself, adopting a new name and a new profession in the process. And he had fallen in love with the woman he had thought he would spend the rest of his life with and from their love he had found the second great love of his life – their daughter. But if there was one thing he had learnt time and time again in his life, it was that nothing was a given. And so it had been with him and Laura. Their relationship had always been tumultuous to say the least but he had thought, or at least hoped, that marriage and a child would resolve their differences once and for all. It had seemed to have worked – for a while at least, but over time they had grown further and further apart. And no matter how much they tried, they couldn’t seem to find their way back to each other.

So a year or so after finalizing their divorce he decided, as gut wrenching as it was, that it would be best for all concerned if he left Los Angeles and the detective agency that bore the name he had adopted as his own. He had to make a clean break – for both his and Laura’s sake. So he’d moved back to London but not to his former life – he had used the money he had inherited from his father Daniel to set up a charitable foundation for homeless children, to help give them the start to life he never had.

He and Laura had come to an arrangement whereby Olivia divided her time between the two of them, but it broke his heart everytime he had to say goodbye to her. This was not how he had planned for his life to play out - to be a part-time father and a no-time husband. For as long as he could remember all he’d wanted was to have a family of his own and he had let it slip through his fingers and he had let the love of his life slip away as well.

He ran a hand over his face as an image of Laura came unwittingly into his mind, knowing that she was the real reason he felt uncomfortable coming back. He hadn’t seen her for around five years he surmised, and he had mixed feelings about seeing her again. He knew it was inevitable they would have to spend some time together for their daughter’s birthday but he didn’t know how she was going to be around him, or he her for that matter. But one thing he knew for sure was that he missed her - he missed her deep brown eyes, her dimpled smile, her lilting voice, her addiction to chocolate, the infuriating way she unwrapped presents, the way she felt when she was in her arms .. oh hell, he missed everything about her. And if he was being honest, that was why he had run – he couldn’t bear to be near her and not be with her. He’d hoped over the years it would get easier but it hadn’t – every time he came back he still felt the same. Oh he’d tried to forget her in the arms of other women but in the end he knew it was futile – his heart belonged to Laura and it always would.

****************************

As the plane touched down he sighed with a rueful grin, “Showtime sport.” He got off the plane and collected his bags and cleared Immigration then headed out to the Arrivals hall. He spied her right away as a broad smile crossed his face – she was so like her mother. The same long chestnut brown hair and the same dimpled smile, although she had inherited his blue eyes and a bit of his height as well so she stood a bit taller than Laura. But she had her mother’s spunk and determination, and just like her mother she had had his heart from the moment he had first laid eyes on her.

“There’s my girl,” he greeted her as Olivia ran to him and practically bowled him over. “Daddy!” she exclaimed as she hugged him hard and he hugged her back. “Hey easy there princess I’m old you know,” he chuckled as she looked at him and shook her head. “You’re not old Dad,” she replied as he grinned a little wryly. “Well I’m not as young as I used to be that’s for sure – I mean look at me, I’ve got grey hair and an almost thirty year old daughter,” he retorted with a laugh as he planted a kiss on her head. “Well I think it makes you look distinguished,” Olivia reassured him then added, “And what’s with the beard? That’s new,” as she’d never seen him with one before. Remington scratched the hair on his face and asked, “You don’t like it? I just thought I’d try something a bit different”. She regarded him for a moment then said with a smile, “It’s different - but I like it. It suits you Dad.”

Remington returned the smile and thanked her then followed her out to her car. He’d almost asked her if she thought her mother would like his beard then thought better of it. After stowing his luggage in the trunk of her car he hopped in the passenger side and had just buckled his seat belt when Olivia gunned the engine and took off out of the carpark. Remington laughed as he shook his head, “I see you still drive like your mother.” Olivia took her eyes off the road and grinned at him and nodded. “Eyes on the road sweetheart,” he reminded her as she took a corner a bit wide. “Relax Dad,” she laughed and as Remington looked at her, her hair blowing in the breeze and that dimpled smile on her face, his thoughts went back over the years to the many times he’d seen the exact same look on her mother’s face.

“Ah.. how is your mother?” he asked a little tentatively. Olivia stole a sidewards glance at her father and smiled. “Wondered how long it would take you to ask.”

“Now don’t go getting any ideas in that pretty little head of yours. I’m just inquiring about the welfare of my child’s mother that’s all,” Remington tried to convince her as well as himself. “Of course you are Dad,” Olivia replied but the look she gave him told him otherwise. “She’s good - busy as always, you know Mom. Anyway you’ll see for yourself tomorrow night at the party,” she added with a twinkle in her eye. “Yes I guess I will,” Remington replied with a sigh as he looked out the window, wondering how that was going to go…


	3. Chapter 3

After catching up with Oliva, Laura headed back to the agency office. She pushed open the door and even though she had changed the sign on it quite a while ago to ‘Laura Holt Investigations’ (it was the twenty first century now after all!) it still gave her a bit of a thrill to see her own name on the doors of a successful detective agency. Unlike the first time she had put her name on an office years ago, before she came up with the name that would change her life forever in so many ways. She tried to push that last thought out of her head but try as she might an image of her ex-husband came to mind, sailing through that door every day with a cheery “Morning, morning, morning”. He’d wound down his involvement in the agency following their divorce, announcing to the private investigations community that he was retiring from the game and leaving the agency in the more than capable hands of his ex-wife and associate, before moving back to London. Laura had kept his name for the agency for a while, but then after a few years decided the world was ready for a female run PI agency so she officially changed the name, figuring she owed it to herself after all that time.

She had also hoped, in vain as it turned out, that by dropping his name from the agency it would help her in her efforts to forget him. But she knew now that was impossible – plus he was the father of her child so she knew they would always be part of each other’s lives in some shape or form. Mildred had taken their divorce and him moving back to London especially hard – after all she had always thought of them as ‘her kids’. She decided to retire a couple of years after he left although Laura still made an effort to keep in touch with her. She’d hired new staff of course – a new secretary and two other detectives to help her out – and while they were certainly good at their jobs it just wasn’t the same. She missed the old days – when as well as work they had also had a lot of fun and laughs. Not just with Remington and Mildred but Bernice and Murphy too, and she was looking forward to catching up with her old friends at Olivia’s birthday party.

She greeted Carly the secretary and after talking briefly to one of the young detectives she had working for her about their latest case, she headed into her office. Well for a long time it had been his office she reminded herself as she took a seat behind the desk. She tried to concentrate on the stack of paperwork she had but her thoughts kept drifting to him, as they always seemed to do when he was back in Los Angeles. She presumed Olivia would have picked him up from the airport by now and she could just imagine him walking around the apartment that he had once inhabited, which their daughter now lived in. Almost subconsciously she ran her hand across the desk in front of her that had stood the test of time – it held so many memories.

Remington sitting behind it with those long, lanky legs of his and his feet stuck up on the desk, which she’d knocked off more than a few times. Her leaning over it to kiss him on occasion or her just laying on top of it while they nutted out a case together.

Then there was that horrible Christmas they’d been held hostage by Prancer and his cronies, when he had opened up a bit about his lonely childhood memories of Christmas, as he sat at the desk with her by his side. Despite the fear she felt because of the situation they found themselves in, she had also felt an overwhelming surge of love for him that day and a desire to take care of him and reassure him he’d never have to spend another Christmas alone. But you didn’t keep that promise did you Laura, that little voice in her head reminded her as she shook her head a little in an effort to keep her guilt and the memories at bay. ‘Focus Laura,’ she mentally chided herself as she opened up another file in an effort to keep her mind off such things.

She had just started getting into it finally, when the door to her office opened and she heard a voice she hadn’t heard in that office for a very long time, saying, “Hey Laura here’s that file on the Wolfe case you were after.” Laura looked up with surprise to find a dark haired woman with a mischievous twinkle in her brown eyes grinning at her. “Bernice!” she exclaimed with delight to find her old friend and secretary standing there. She immediately got up from the desk and went and hugged her fondly as Bernice hugged her back. They chatted for a while, catching up on each other’s lives since they’d spoken last a couple of months ago, then Laura stated with a warm smile, “Oh it’s so good to see you – I was just thinking about you and Murph and the old days”.

“The old days huh?” Bernice laughed then added with a sly grin, “Does that mean you were thinking about…?” but Laura cut her off. “Oh don’t you start – I’ve just been telling my daughter during lunch that that ship has sailed,” as she gave Bernice a pointed look and shook her head somewhat ruefully.

Bernice regarded her old friend for a moment. “Has it really though? Sometimes ships come back to port you know,” she challenged Laura with a grin. “Well that ‘ship’ is never docking in my ‘port’ again,” Laura stated adamantly with the hint of a dimpled smile at her innuendo which left them both chuckling. At that, they both had a flashback to years earlier when Bernice had walked into Laura’s office to find her gazing at a photo of her now ex-husband, and the subsequent conversation they had. Bernice’s smile got a bit wider as she asked somewhat mischievously, “So no desire to ‘scratch the old itch’ hey? I mean you’re single, he’s single..” Bernice left it up in the air as she looked at Laura expectantly. “And we’re divorced may I remind you. Have been for quite some time,” Laura retorted.

“So you’re telling me you feel nothing for him now?” Bernice asked skeptically as Laura looked a bit uncomfortable. “Well of course I feel something for him – we were married for thirteen years and together for longer than that, and he is the father of my child,” she replied as Bernice nodded. “Uh huh – I’m aware of that. But you know what I’m really talking about- is that old spark you two used to have still there?”

Laura sighed, knowing she couldn’t lie to one of her oldest and dearest friends. “I ..I don’t know if it is anymore. It’s been about five years since I saw him last after all. But…”

“But?” Bernice asked expectantly.

“But as much as I hate to admit it, it was still there back then – well for me anyway. I don’t know if he felt it too. But what does it matter now? That’s ancient history – we gave it a shot and it didn’t work for us. We’re just too different,” Laura replied, her voice tinged with sadness and regret.

“I think the problem actually is you’re too alike,” Bernice stated wisely as Laura looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

“Have you forgotten I got to observe the two of you together for the better part of a year and several occasions after that? Yes on the surface I agree you appear different, but underneath it all you’re both the same – both pigheaded and stubborn and too damn proud for your own good,” Bernice said with a gentle smile, deciding to give her friend a dose of reality as Laura nodded with a wry smile of her own, knowing it was true. “And you’re both deep down, still those vulnerable, scared kids, afraid to be left alone again,” Bernice added perceptibly. Laura focused her gaze on the floor as she fought back the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes – Bernice was hitting too close to home and had voiced what Laura had already suspected if she was being honest with herself. But was it too late? she wondered to herself. Had they hurt each other too much to ever go back? She just didn’t know.

She ran a hand through her hair and over her face, not wanting to face the truth but knowing she had to. “You’re right,” she confessed, her voice choked with emotion. “But it’s too late now - we’ve both moved on,” she added, trying to convince herself as well as Bernice. “Have you? I don’t see you with anyone, or him for that matter,” Bernice pointed out then she added firmly, ”They’re called second chances for a reason you know. Now come on, you and I are going out - I think we need a drink.”

“I can’t just leave the office in the middle of the afternoon,” Laura laughed. “Why not? You’re the boss aren’t you?” Bernice threw at her with a laugh as Laura had to smile at that. “Well yes I am but..”

“No buts! Come on – it’s time you forgot about work for a while and had a little fun,” Bernice urged her with a cheeky wink as Laura realised she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Okay, okay,” she conceded with a grin as she grabbed her handbag then told her staff, much to their surprise, she was going out for a while, and as she followed her old friend out the door, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was right about her and Remington and if they could ever make it work again…


	4. Chapter 4

As the elevator opened on the fifth floor of the Rossmore building and Remington and Olivia stepped out into the corridor, she observed the look on her father’s face. “Brings back memories hey Dad?” she asked perceptively. “Yes it certainly does sweetheart,” he replied with a pensive smile as he followed her to the door of apartment 5A, the place he had called home many years ago after first assuming the identity of Remington Steele. And most of them involving your mother, he thought to himself a little wryly.

After they had bought their family home following their marriage, he and Laura had decided to keep both the apartment and her loft and rent them out, although he had moved back into the apartment for a short while following their divorce before he moved back to London. Laura hadn’t been able to bring herself to sell it even after he left, so she had rented it out again before Olivia had decided to move into it a few years back, and she had converted Laura’s loft into a studio for her art works.

As he stepped inside Remington looked around, and although the colour scheme and décor had changed a bit, it still seemed very familiar. His eyes were immediately drawn to the fireplace, as a host of memories of sitting or lying in front of it with Laura entered his mind. He had to suppress a chuckle as he remembered vividly the time he had been lying there throwing copies of ‘Bedside Babes’ into the fire and Laura had taken him rather pleasantly by surprise when she grabbed the copy he had in his hands and threw it into the fire before launching herself on top of him. “What’s so funny Dad?” their daughter asked, seeing the grin that had suddenly spread across his face. “Oh nothing,” he replied quickly, then keen to change the subject he added, “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

Olivia thanked him then asked, “Now are you sure you don’t want to take the bed while you’re here Dad? I’m happy to sleep on the couch.” Remington shook his head, “No it’s fine, but thanks for the offer Liv. It won’t be the first time I’ve slept on the couch after all,” he replied with a smile, thinking of the numerous clients they’d had over the years who had stayed at the apartment, more than often sleeping in the sole bedroom while he bunked down on the couch.

After unpacking his clothes into the space in the bedroom wardrobe Oliva had set aside for him, he decided to have a shower after his long flight. As he put his toiletries bag down on the bathroom sink he noticed with some consternation the two toothbrushes sitting together in a container on the sink.

Once he’d finished showering and got dressed he came back out into the dining room where Olivia had made a cup of tea for them both. “How was the shower Dad? Feeling better?” she asked, suddenly wondering why there was a slight frown clouding his features. “Well I was until I saw the two toothbrushes – what’s that all about eh?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. Olivia sighed a little, knowing to him she would always be Daddy’s little girl. “Well, Richard stays over sometimes so it makes sense for him to have his own toothbrush,” she replied matter of factly. “I’ve told you about him Dad – we’ve been dating for over six months,” she added as she gave him a look that reminded him a good deal of the looks he used to get from her mother sometimes, usually when he was about to lose an argument. “Well yes..but..,” he tried to argue but Oliva interjected with a laugh, “Dad come on, it’s the twenty first century and I know it’s hard for you to believe but I’m not a little girl anymore, I’m a grown woman.”

“Okay, okay,” he relented then added a little grumpily, “Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it though,” as his daughter rolled her eyes at him. “Well don’t worry he won’t be staying over while you’re here,” she reassured him as her father’s expression brightened for a moment, but only for a moment when she informed him with a grin, “Although I’ll probably stay over his place tomorrow night after the party.”

At that Remington sighed and sat down to drink his tea, realizing that as much as he would prefer to think otherwise, his and Laura’s daughter had indeed grown up. While they drank their tea, father and daughter laughed and chatted then Remington helped Olivia, who had inherited his culinary skills, whip up a gourmet dinner for the two of them.

“I’d like to pop over and see your Aunt Mildred tomorrow sometime before the party,” Remington stated while they were eating dinner, knowing that as she was now in her late eighties she was getting a bit frail and probably wouldn’t be able to make it to Olivia’s party. And he made it a point never to miss an opportunity to see her when he was in LA – after all, she was the closest thing to a mother he’d had.

“Dad there’s something you should know about Aunt Mildred,” Olivia said seriously as Remington looked at her with some concern when he heard her tone. In reply to his expectant look she explained, “She’s unfortunately gone a bit down hill since you saw her last and she’s developed dementia. She kind of lapses in and out sometimes and she has a lot of trouble remembering most things. And well.. she thinks you and Mom are still together and that you’re still with the agency - some days she even thinks she’s still with the agency.” Remington blew out a breath as he shook his head. “Oh that poor woman. Well thanks for the heads up princess – I’ll make sure to remember that when I see her,” he stated as he patted her hand gratefully.

After dinner they washed up then settled down to watch an old movie, one of their favourite things to do together ever since Oliva was little, her father wanting to give her an appreciation for classic movies from an early age. They’d been watching the movie for a while when Olivia turned to say something to her father, only to find him fast asleep, suffering from a bit of jetlag. With a smile she turned off the tv and draped a blanket over him where he lay on the couch, before planting a kiss on his head and whispering, “Good night Daddy.” She watched him as he slept for a moment or two, hoping as she often did, that he and her mother could find their way back to the love they once shared so they could be a real family again.

*******************************************

The next morning they headed over to the retirement home where Mildred lived. “Oh Laura – lovely to see you,” Mildred greeted Olivia with a smile as she stepped into the room first, thinking she was her mother, as Olivia and Remington exchanged a glance. “It’s me, Olivia, Aunt Mildred – Laura and Remington’s daughter,” Olivia explained gently. Mildred looked somewhat confused for a moment and then a look of recognition crossed her face as she said, “Oh silly me of course it’s you Olivia dear. You just look so much like your mother that’s all. Except for your eyes of course – you’ve certainly got your father’s eyes.”

The owner of said eyes then came up to her. “Hello Mildred how are you?” he greeted her with a smile as he gave her a peck on the cheek. Mildred stared at him for a moment, not at first recognising the grey haired man with the beard who stood before her, but then when she saw his eyes and his grin she remembered. “Oh boss – it’s you! You’re here!” she greeted him excitedly as she hugged him to her, which he returned in kind. “I’m sorry I haven’t been at the office lately chief - I’m on vacation here you see but I’ll be coming back soon,” she stated as he smiled patiently. “That’s okay don’t you worry about it – we’ve got everything under control,” he reassured her.

“Oh of course you and Miss Holt have – she’s so organized. Oh sorry I meant Mrs Steele – I keep forgetting the two of you are married,” Mildred replied as Remington couldn’t help quipping, “Don’t worry- so do I,” as his daughter shot him a warning look. He grinned a little ruefully and said “Sorry,” to her under his breath.

They chatted with Mildred for a while, Remington trying to hide his concerned expression as he witnessed first hand her memory loss, although occasional flashes of the ‘old Mildred’ still shone through. “Now what’s with this beard? I prefer you clean shaven,” she chastised him with a laugh, bossing him around like she used to. “Well I’ll be sure to make a note of that,” he replied with a chuckle and a warm smile. After a while Mildred turned to Olivia and said, “Oliva dear would you mind getting us all a cup of tea? I need to talk to your father.”

“Of course Aunt Mildred,” Olivia replied as she went into the small kitchenette off the main room, wondering what she wanted to speak to her father about. Mildred then turned to Remington and said with a smile, “She’s a wonderful girl – just like her parents,” as Remington nodded proudly in agreement. “So what did you want to talk about Mildred?” he then asked gently as she fixed him with one of her best ‘ex IRS fraud squad’ stares and replied, “Well first of all I want to know why you don’t visit more often? I miss you.”

At that Remington tugged on an earlobe, feeling both uncomfortable and guilty and wondering how he could answer that without letting on that he and Laura were no longer together and that he didn’t live in Los Angeles anymore. “I miss you too Mildred,” he confessed, “and I’m sorry I haven’t visited more. I..I’m away a lot.”

Mildred regarded him for a moment then in a moment of lucidity she remembered what had happened between ‘her kids’ and how sad that had made not only her, but both of them as well. “Laura still loves you, you know..,” she stated as she looked at him as Remington returned her earnest expression with a surprised one of his own. “She told me.I know I don’t remember much these days but I remember that,” she told him confidently as Remington just stared at her, at a loss for words. She then got up and started looking through the drawers in her bedside table. “What are you looking for Mildred?” he asked, still stunned by her revelation. “Those files you came here to pick up to take back to the office boss – now where did I put them?” she replied, her brief period of clarity having disappeared, and leaving Remington feeling more confused about what he should do than she was…


	5. Chapter 5

Early that evening, Laura put the finishing touches to her makeup then looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing down the fabric of the red dress she’d decided on, then on a whim decided to put her hair up in a bun, a few wisps framing her face. She hadn’t taken this long to get ready in she didn’t know how long, and she tried to tell herself it was just so she could show her ex what he was missing. She then shook her head for a moment as she regarded her reflection, thinking to herself, “Who are you kidding Laura? You want to impress him and you know it.”

Her conversation with Bernice the day before had forced her to face up to some home truths, as much as she didn’t want to, and which had found her that afternoon feeling particularly nostalgic and going through some old photos. One of her favorites in particular had affected her more than she would have liked to admit – one of Remington holding a newborn Olivia, a look of pure pride and joy on his handsome face. She remembered that day as if it was yesterday instead of thirty years ago and how happy they had both felt, their love having created something so precious and beautiful. A love which she felt afraid to hope was still there.

She then looked at her watch and realizing the time, grabbed her bag and locked up the house before hopping in her car and heading over to her mother’s place to pick her up. Abigail had moved to Los Angeles from Connecticut some years ago to be closer to both of her daughters – sometimes too close, Laura thought a little wryly. Although she loved her mother, they still managed to often rub each other up the wrong way. Despite her advancing years Abigail still insisted on living in her own home, although Laura and her sister Frances took it in turns to visit her and take her to her medical appointments and the like. She had agreed with Frances that she would pick their mother up to take her to Olivia’s party and Frances and her husband Donald would take her home afterwards, ‘sharing the load’ as it were. Abigail was still very much the matriarch of the Holt clan, something which she frequently reminded her daughters, grandchildren and now great grandchildren of.

Laura took a deep breath before knocking on her mother’s door. “Hello Laura dear,” her mother greeted her when she finally got to the door. “Hello Mother,” Laura greeted her as she gave her a peck on the cheek. When she went to grab her mother’s arm to help her down the front steps Abigail waved her off, admonishing her as she did so, “I’m perfectly capable of walking down the steps by myself Laura,” as her younger daughter tried not to roll her eyes at her stubborn, independent mother. A small smile then crossed her face as she could imagine her own daughter saying the same about her.

As they drove to the hotel downtown where Olivia’s party was being held Abigail asked Laura, “So will Remington be there tonight?”. Laura sighed a little as she replied, “Yes Mother - it’s his daughter’s thirtieth birthday, of course he’ll be there. “

Abigail shook her head a little as she commented, “I still don’t understand how you let that man get away Laura,” as Laura tried not to grit her teeth. “Mother can we please not get into this now. And we both let each other get away,” she retorted, trying to keep her anger in check. Abigail managed to stay silent for a minute or two and then she said quietly, “I had hoped for more for you Laura – I had hoped you would find the love I never had.” At that Laura momentarily took her eyes off the road to look at her mother with surprise. Abigail sighed then stated, “I know you adored your father Laura and despite what you might think he loved you and your sister, but I’ve come to realise over the years that he never loved me, not really.” Laura drove along in silence, somewhat stunned by her mother’s admission. “Not like your Mr Steele loved you – the first time I saw him looking at you, I knew,” Abigail went on as Laura gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and fought to fight back a tear or two. “Well he’s not my ‘Mr Steele’ anymore and that was a long time ago,” she replied hurriedly.

Abigail then looked at her stubborn, headstrong younger daughter. “Laura I know I may not say this much but you’re my daughter and I love you, but that stubbornness of yours while it has helped you in some ways has harmed you in other ways I think. He’s not your father Laura – give him a second chance,” she said in a gentle tone which was quite uncharacteristic for her. Laura gave her a grateful if somewhat watery smile then replied, her voice barely a whisper, “I don’t know if it’s too late for that.” Abigail smiled at her and patted her hand affectionately saying, “While you’re still breathing it’s never too late.”

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Remington meanwhile had just slipped on his suit jacket then walked out to the living room where Olivia stood waiting for him. She looked stunning in a light blue dress which brought out the blue in her eyes, her chestnut hair falling round her face in soft waves. Remington smiled at her as he planted a kiss on her head saying, “You look beautiful sweetheart.” She thanked him then he asked, a little nervously she noticed, “How do I look?”.

“You look very handsome as always Dad,” she reassured him as she brushed a piece of lint off one of his shoulders which brought a lump to his throat as he remembered her mother doing the same thing, with the same dimpled smile, on more than one occasion. “Are you okay Dad?” Olivia asked perceptively as she observed the expression that had briefly flickered across his face. “Yes, yes I’m fine,” he replied, forcing a smile onto his face.

“Can you help me put this on?” Olivia then asked as she held up the bracelet he’d given her earlier that day as a birthday gift. Remington nodded with a smile as he did up the clasp for her and she admired it saying, “It’s beautiful Dad.” “Not as beautiful as the young lady wearing it,” he replied with a proud twinkle in his blue eyes.

“So what did Aunt Mildred want to talk to you about this morning?” Olivia then asked her father curiously. “Oh..um she thought she was still working at the agency so she wanted to talk about a case,” he replied hurriedly, not wanting to reveal what Mildred had really told him and get his daughter’s hopes up of a reconciliation between him and her mother. She was about to press him further about it when they heard the doorbell buzz. “That’ll be Richard,” Olivia stated as he had offered to pick her and her father up to take them to the party. ”Be nice,” she added to her father in a pleading tone as he pretended to look mortally offended and replied, “I’m always nice.”

Olivia then opened the apartment door, greeting her boyfriend with a dazzling smile and a kiss as Richard greeted her ,”Hey birthday girl,” before continuing the kiss. Remington coughed conspicuously to get their attention as a somewhat perturbed look crossed his face. The young couple reluctantly drew apart, both with sheepish grins on their faces. “Richard I’d like you to meet my dad Remington,” Olivia introduced them. “Pleased to meet you Mr Steele,” the younger man greeted him somewhat nervously as Remington sized him up then shook his hand a little more firmly than was necessary. “Pleased to meet you too Richard,” Remington replied politely. “Well ah.. I guess we should get going hey?” Richard then stated, as he felt a bit uncomfortable under the intense blue eyed gaze of his girlfriend’s father. “Good idea,” Remington replied, although part of him was a little worried about what, or rather who, was awaiting him at the party.

**************************

As Laura and Abigail walked into the function room where the party was being held she couldn’t help scanning the room for Remington. “Liv and Remington aren’t here yet,” Frances informed her as she came up to her sister and mother. ”I’m sure they’ll be here soon though,” she added as she gave her younger sister a knowing look which Laura chose to ignore. Leaving her mother in her sister’s capable hands, Laura then excused herself and headed across the room to where Bernice and Murphy and their respective spouses stood talking. They all greeted each other warmly and were chatting for a while when Bernice happened to look in the direction of the door and a low whistle escaped her lips as she saw the tall, good looking man walk in behind Olivia and her boyfriend. “Look who’s here Laura – wow talk about a silver fox!” she commented with a cheeky grin as she nudged her friend.

Laura looked in the direction of Bernice’s gaze and her eyes immediately met Remington’s as he sought her out in the crowd. Her heart felt like it did a backflip as she took in the sight of him, looking older than the last time she’d seen him with his now grey hair and neatly trimmed beard, but just as handsome as ever, decked out in a navy suit with matching shirt and tie. “Oh boy that man still looks good in a suit,” Bernice commented with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as Laura, unable to find her voice for a moment, nodded in agreement then finding her voice replied ruefully, “I know – it’s irritating.” She then grabbed the wine glass Bernice was holding saying, “Give me that,” and turning her back to where Remington stood, downed it in one go, knowing she needed some ‘Dutch courage’ before she faced him. Bernice laughed in surprise at her action then added with a grin. “You might need a couple of more of those – he’s headed this way.”

“Hello Laura,” she heard the delectable timbre of his voice that was burnt into her memory. She swallowed a little then put her ‘game face’ on and turned around to face him. “Hello Rem,” she replied, trying not to drown in his blue eyes. He leant forward and gave her a peck on the cheek, resting a hand on her arm as he did so, a bit longer than Laura would have liked. “How are you?” he asked. “Fine, fine,” she replied a little hurriedly as she crossed her arms in front of her, subconsciously trying to put some distance between them. “And you?” she asked. “Fine,” he echoed her response with the hint of a lopsided grin. There was a momentary awkward silence and then Remington turned to Bernice and Murphy and their other halves and greeted them as well.

Olivia then came up to her parents and their friends with Richard by her side. Laura hugged her and wished her a happy birthday and then greeted Richard with a peck on the cheek. They all chatted for a while, Laura feeling Remington’s eyes on her from time to time as she tried to focus on the conversation. When the young couple moved on to talk to some of their own friends, Remington turned to Laura and asked, “So what’s the deal with the boyfriend? Is he a good guy?”. Laura looked at him with a hint of irritation. “His name is Richard – I would have thought you could remember that seeing as it was one of your former names,” she retorted as he cocked an eyebrow at her and replied,”Touche.”

“And to answer your question yes he is a good guy. Our daughter’s not stupid Rem – she’s not going to put up with any crap,” Laura replied firmly as Remington nodded in agreement. “Oh I know that – just like her mother eh?” he retorted with a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. Laura chose to ignore his comment as she continued, “I’ve met him a few times and from what I can see he totally adores Liv as she does him. So don’t go doing the ‘overprotective father’ thing okay?” as she gave him a knowing look. “Okay, okay,” he replied as he put up his hands in fake surrender in response to her look.

They then both turned to watch their daughter laughing and chatting with her friends and relatives, her dimpled smile and the twinkle in her blue eyes lighting up the room. “Well she’s certainly inherited your charm,” Laura observed as a smile crossed Remington’s face at the unexpected compliment. “Oh I don’t think it all came from me - her mother’s pretty charming,” he said sincerely as he looked at her intently.

Try as she might Laura couldn’t help melting a little under his intent gaze. “So um.. how’s the Foundation going?” she asked in an effort to change the subject. “Good, good - we’ve just set up another centre to give homeless kids a place to go,” Remington replied. Laura looked at him and said sincerely, “Your father would have been proud of you.” He looked down momentarily into the glass he was holding, a bit overcome with emotion at her comment. “Thank you Laura – that means a lot,” he then replied as he looked up, and as their eyes met they both felt a glimmer of the strong emotional connection they once had. He went to say something only to be interrupted by one of their old neighbours whose daughter had grown up with Olivia coming up to them and greeting them both, particularly fawning over Remington while Laura tried her best not to bristle with a bit of jealousy.

Laura excused herself after a while as Remington flashed her a somewhat rueful ‘thanks a lot’ look as he tried desperately to think of an excuse to get away from the woman as well. His ex brother-in-law Donald gave him an out as he came up to him and clapped him round the shoulder. “Great party huh Steele?” he commented as Remington smiled and replied, “Yes indeed it is Donald. Now how’s things going in the world of dentistry eh?” as he excused himself from his old neighbour and walked off with Donald, all the while scanning the room to see where Laura had disappeared to.

He had just spotted her when the DJ started playing a very familiar song, “As Time goes By,” which had been the song he and Laura had danced to as their bridal waltz. A rueful smile crossed his face as he spied his sneaky daughter leaving the DJ booth as she caught his eye and grinned at him. “Excuse me Donald but I have something very important I need to do,” he said as he thought to himself, ‘Well here goes’, as he worked his way through the crowd to Laura’s side.

“They’re playing our song,” he stated with that familiar lopsided grin as he nodded towards the dance floor. “Shall we? For old time's sake,” he asked and the hopeful look in his eyes still made him look so much like a little boy that Laura knew she couldn’t refuse him . And if she was being honest with herself there was part of her that wanted to dance with him as well, to be held in his arms again. She hesitated but only for a second, then nodded as his grin got a bit wider and he placed a hand on the small of her back as he guided her through the crowd to the dance floor, his touch bringing back a host of memories to her.

As he took her into his arms she found herself still a bit tense, trying to keep some distance between them ,although part of her wanted to do exactly the opposite. “Relax Laura,” Remington whispered in her ear as they started moving together to the music and almost like a reflex action she found herself doing just that, even though this was the closest proximity she’d been to him in over eighteen years. They were both silent for a few moments as they both found themselves remembering the many times they had danced together, their bodies moulding perfectly together just like they did when they…

In an effort to dispel such thoughts, Laura remarked with a wry smile, “Do you think our darling daughter had anything to do with this song being played? She certainly watched our wedding video enough when she was little to know we danced to it as our bridal waltz.” Remington chuckled a little and replied with a grin, “Well as I spied her coming out of the DJ booth just before it came on, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance. Cheeky one that girl– wonder where she gets that from eh?”.

“Well not from me,” Laura laughed as she feigned innocence as Remington raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. “Well in all that we got wrong we certainly got something right eh?' he stated sincerely as they both looked proudly at their daughter as she danced with Richard. Laura nodded in agreement knowing it was true, automatically resting a hand against his chest as she did so, and he pulled her a little closer to him.“I think she’s still living in hope that we’ll get back to together one day you know,” she said with a small smile. Remington hesitated for a moment then looking at her replied, “She’s not the only one.”

At that Laura stopped dancing and looked at him in shock. “What..?” she asked, not quite believing she’d heard him right. He tugged on an earlobe as he said, “Well you always said I should express my feelings more …”. Laura stared at him not knowing what do or say as a mixture of emotions whirled inside her.

“Well you’re about 18 years too late!” she threw at him, resorting to using anger as a way of masking her true feelings. “I.. I need some air,” she added as she stepped away from him. “Laura…please..,” Remington pleaded with her as he went to follow her but she put a hand up to stop him. “Okay, okay,” he relented as he stood there a little helplessly watching her disappear into the crowd..


	6. Chapter 6

“Dammit,” Remington cursed under his breath as he watched her go, fearing he’d blown his chance, but he knew better than to follow her, knowing that it would only make things worse. He’d learnt, often the hard way over the years, that when Laura was in a mood like that it was better to let her be until she calmed down. So he instead headed to the bar to grab a drink. He took a sip of his drink as he tried to figure out what to do next when Murphy came up to him. “What did you do now Steele? Laura looked pretty pissed when she came off the dancefloor,” Murphy commented with a grin as Remington smiled ruefully at him and shook his head.

“Don’t I know it. I..ah.. made the mistake of letting her know I wanted to get back together,” he confessed as Murphy looked at him with some surprise. “You still love her?” Murphy replied, more as a statement of fact then a question. Remington looked at him and nodded. “With all my heart - I never stopped,” he confessed “But it seems she doesn’t feel the same way,” he added morosely.

Murphy looked at him then said with an encouraging grin, “Years ago I could never have imagined telling you this, but you two are meant to be together. From the moment you first laid eyes on each other I knew it, as much as I didn’t want to admit it back then. And we both know how stubborn Laura can be right?” Remington nodded as despite the way he was feeling, a lopsided grin crossed his face. “Oh yeah,” he agreed wryly.

Murphy then stated seriously, “Just give her time buddy. I’ve known Laura a long time and I can tell she still loves you too. Don’t give up on her,” as he patted Remington on the shoulder. Remington smiled gratefully at him and taking Murphy by surprise, suddenly gave him a hug. “I have no intention of doing that mate and thanks for the advice, appreciate it.”

Meanwhile Laura had headed out to the balcony to try and sort out her conflicting emotions. Remington had shocked the hell out of her by his admission – after 18 years she certainly wasn’t expecting that. But she knew if she was being honest with herself that she felt the same way but she was afraid to admit it to him – afraid to get hurt again and to hurt him again as well.

Why now?? she thought desperately to herself. After all this time he tells me this now, just when I’d almost convinced myself I was over him, she thought but she knew deep down that she would never be really over him. Despite that she had tried to move on with her life without him as best she could, throwing her energy into her work as well as her various interests and watching their daughter grow from a girl into a beautiful, accomplished young woman. Her life was certainly more predictable now without him (or dare she say boring? a part of her thought a little ruefully), but while she didn’t miss their arguments, she did miss him. And here he was turning her life upside down again just like he’d done when they had first met all those years ago.

Seeing her storm off the dance floor Bernice followed her, worried about her friend. “Hey you ok?” she asked Laura as she came up beside her. Laura gave her a look that said it all as she shook her head. “What’s wrong?” Bernice asked with concern. “Him! That’s what’s wrong!” Laura exclaimed with a mixture of anger & exasperation. “Oh that man!” she muttered as she fought back the tears that had sprung to her eyes.

“What did he do?” Bernice asked worriedly, wondering what on earth he had done to get Laura so riled up. Laura hesitated for a moment then told her, “He more or less told me he wanted us to get back together.”

Bernice looked at her with a smile. “And that’s a bad thing?” she asked gently. Laura focused her gaze on the floor then rubbing her forehead in consternation replied, “Well we certainly made a mess of things first time round.”

“But you’re both older and wiser now,” Bernice pointed out then asked her straight out, “What do you want Laura?”

Laura shook her head then confessed, “I.. I don’t know,” as she closed her eyes but Bernice wasn’t having a bar of it. “Really?” she challenged her. “I think you do.”

Laura returned her intent look, not ready to admit to her friend or to herself, what her heart had been telling her for the past 18 years. “You know what – you’re right. I do know what I want right now – I want to let my hair down and have some fun and not worry about my ex-husband for a while. Come on let’s go show those kids how it’s done,” she replied as she grabbed Bernice by the hand as they heard the first few bars of “Girls just want to have fun,” starting to play inside. “Okay,” Bernice laughed as she followed her, knowing that the more she pushed the more Laura would just dig her heels in.

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Remington and Murphy and Bernice’s husband Jay, watched with amusement as Laura and Bernice proceeded to tear up the dancefloor, giving the younger women at the party a run for their money. “Looks like ‘wild Laura’ is making an appearance,” Murphy chuckled as he winked at Remington. “Hmm indeed,” Remington replied with a cheeky grin as he observed her ‘shaking her booty’ and singing at the top of her lungs as Olivia laughed, ”Mom!” and shook her head at her mother’s antics.

“Hey remember that time Laura got rolling drunk with those divorced women in the.. was it the Marcall case and turned up at the office, and we had to carry her out to the elevator and down to the limo?” Murphy recalled with a laugh. Remington nodded with a twinkle in his eye at the memory. “I certainly do Murphy my good man. Yes I’ve come to realise over the years that Laura and a few drinks can be a dangerous, if somewhat amusing combination,” Remington quipped as he cocked an eyebrow mischievously. “Looks like nothing much has changed,” Murphy observed with a grin as he watched his old friend letting loose.

When the time came for Olivia to cut her birthday cake, she made a heartfelt, emotional speech, thanking all her loved ones for sharing her special day with her, particularly her parents. Remington couldn’t help looking at Laura who, despite trying to avoid his gaze at first, found herself looking at him as well. He then walked up to their daughter and asked if he could say a few words.

“Good evening everyone and as my darling girl has just said, thank you all for coming tonight to share in this wonderful celebration. Olivia, I just want to say how proud your mother and I are of you and how much we both love you and we want to wish you every happiness both today and for your life ahead of you,” he stated as Laura nodded in agreement. “And I just want to take this opportunity to thank you Laura for giving me the greatest gift - our beautiful daughter, and for all you’ve done to make her the wonderful young woman she is today,” he stated sincerely as he looked intently at his ex-wife. Laura found herself wishing the ground would open up and swallow her, especially when everyone looked at her to see how she would react. She forced a smile onto her face as Remington then raised his glass of champagne and said, “So I’d like to raise a toast both to the birthday girl and her mother - to Olivia and Laura.” Following his lead, all the guests toasted the two most important women in his life as he planted a kiss on his daughter’s cheek and flashed a hopeful smile at her mother. Laura smiled back at him, albeit somewhat awkwardly, as she couldn’t help reflecting on what he’d said and realizing that perhaps he had mellowed a bit over the years and had become more comfortable with expressing his feelings, which had always been a sticking point between them.

Eventually the party began to wind down and guests started leaving. Olivia commented to Laura, “Mom I don’t think you should drive home – you’ve had a couple of drinks you know. Richard and I can give you a lift. “

Laura dismissed her daughter’s concerns with a wave of her hand. She knew she was little tipsy but she certainly wasn’t drunk. “Nonsense I’m fine. You two kids go and have fun,” she urged the young couple with a smile.

“Just not too much fun eh?” Remington said as he came up to them, looking in Richard’s direction as he did so. “Dad!” Olivia protested with a laugh. “Don’t worry I’ll make sure your mother gets home safely,” Remington then stated as both mother and daughter looked at him with some surprise.

“I’m perfectly capable of getting myself home – I don’t need your help Rem,” Laura stated emphatically as she looked at him almost defiantly. “I’ll get an Uber or something,” she added as Remington shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous Laura – stop being so damn independent. You don’t need to pay for an Uber – I can drive you,” he retorted, a muscle working in his cheek.

When she went to argue again Olivia interjected, “Mom – just let Dad drop you home please so I don’t have to worry about you okay?”. At the look on her daughter’s face and not wanting to upset her on her birthday Laura relented, albeit reluctantly, and she knew a good part of the reason for her reluctance was that she didn’t trust herself to be alone with him. “Okay, okay,” she sighed as she tried in vain to ignore the grin that crossed Remington’s face.

“Keys Laura?” he asked expectantly as his grin got a little wider. “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?’ she muttered under her breath. “Immensely,” he quipped cheekily as she rolled her eyes at him then gave him the keys. “I see you’ve upgraded from the Rabbit finally,” he observed as he looked at the BMW keys she had handed him. “What can I say? Business has been good,” she replied with a grin of her own.

They then bid farewell to Olivia and Richard and the rest of their family and friends who were still there and headed for the lift. Once they were alone a somewhat awkward silence enveloped them, neither of them really knowing what to say, following Remington’s earlier revelation. “I’m over here,” Laura finally broke the silence once they reached the car park and she walked off in the direction of the car with Remington in tow. Ever the gentleman, he opened the passenger door of the BMW hybrid car for her then once she was in closed it for her as well, just as he had done so many times in the past.

He got in and started it up, noticing the very quiet engine as he commented with a wistful smile, “I kind of miss the noise of the old Rabbit.” Laura looked at him and replied, “Well it was time to let it go and move on,” her words having a double meaning. Remington returned the look as he quipped mischievously, “Ah but you can’t beat a classic eh?” and raised an eyebrow at her. Choosing not to react to his comment, Laura sighed as she rubbed her head which was starting to pound a little and replied, “Just drive Rem.”

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	7. Chapter 7

As they drove along, Remington went to take the Malibu exit until Laura reminded him she didn’t live there anymore. After Olivia had gone off to college Laura had decided to downsize from the house that had once been their family home, feeling it was too big for just her and it also held too many memories. She had bought herself a comfortable, three bedroom bungalow in South Westwood which wasn’t too far from the agency and which reminded her a bit of the house she’d been living in when Remington had first entered her life.

“Sorry, old habits die hard,” he said, flashing her an apologetic smile as she directed him to the right route to take to her house, trying to ignore what his smile still did to her. After a minute or two Remington cleared his throat a little nervously then decided to bite the bullet. “Laura..about what I said at the party..,” he began to say but she cut him off. “Rem.. please I don’t want to hear this now – I can’t hear this now,” she stated firmly as he gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. “Laura..we need to talk..” Remington persisted as she blew out an exasperated breath. “You’re going to do this now aren’t you, even after I asked you not to? You can’t help yourself can you?” she snapped a little as he shook his head. “Well you always were big on words Laura,” he threw back at her a little sarcastically, both of them suddenly remembering back to the heated argument they’d had at the Friedlich Spa years ago when she had angrily demanded of him, “What about words?!”

At that Laura sighed as she looked out the window, “That is exactly why I didn’t want to get into this now Rem – I don’t want to argue with you anymore. I think we’ve done more than enough of that already over the years don’t you?” Remington had to agree with her on that point and he didn’t want to argue with her either. But he did want to show her how he felt – in fact not just wanted to, he needed to. “Yes I guess so,” he conceded as he chewed on a fingernail, suddenly not knowing what to say to move on from this impasse.

Before too long they had pulled into the drive of Laura’s house. He got out of the car and opened the door for her as she thanked him then he walked her to the front door. “Well I guess I better call a cab eh?” he stated quietly as went to pull his cell phone out. Regretting her outburst in the car a bit Laura stated, “You can wait inside for it if you like.” He nodded gratefully as he followed her inside.

As Remington looked around the house he admired the tasteful décor and furnishings which spoke to Laura’s exquisite sense of style. He noticed with a smile, the piano he had bought her after she lost her grandmother’s when her first house had been bombed, taking pride of place in her living room. “It’s a lovely house Laura,” he remarked sincerely as she thanked him, both of them filled with memories of the house they had bought together and made a home in. And though some of the memories were painful, there were many happy ones as well they both realised as their eyes met.

Remington knew with every passing moment it was getting harder for him to leave. His head was telling him he should call the cab and get out of there, but his heart was telling him to stay and not walk out of Laura’s life again. Question was – which one should he listen to? he wondered.

Laura was having similar thoughts. Having him here, in her home – her haven, was a little unsettling but also exciting. And even though they had argued during the car ride she couldn’t help sneaking glances at him every so often, admiring how distinguished and handsome he looked. Stop it Laura, she admonished herself mentally. He just has to twinkle those gorgeous blue eyes of his or flash that lopsided grin at you and you’re acting like that infatuated twenty seven year old girl again who he swept off her feet. But she knew it was more than that - yes she still felt the chemistry that had always existed between them, but she also felt the emotion.. the love.

As if reading her mind, Remington smiled a little ruefully then said, “Well that cab isn’t going to call itself..” “No I guess not,” Laura replied with a small smile of her own as she subconsciously took a step closer to him, as her mind screamed, “Don’t go.”

Remington looked at her and as Laura met his gaze, the love, pain & hope she saw in his eyes broke down the last of her defences. “Laura I..” he went to say but the words failed him so he decided to show her instead. He took a step towards her, closing the distance between them, then tenderly taking her face in his hands he brought his lips to hers in a bitter sweet kiss that had been eighteen years in the making. He kissed her softly at first then drew back for a moment. “I’m sorry..I know I shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against hers, momentarily overwhelmed by emotion. “Yes you should have..and I’m not sorry you did,” Laura confessed, her voice soft, as her dimpled smile was mirrored by his lopsided grin. With that she reached up and kissed him back a little tentatively at first, but as he responded to her it was like the flood gates that had held back their love and desire for each other since they had gone their separate ways, were blown wide open. To the both of them it felt in some ways like that first passionate kiss they had shared in a monastery cellar of all places, when they had both decided to throw caution to the wind. With that memory in mind though, Remington knew he had to make sure this was what Laura really wanted and not just the result of the few glasses of wine she’d had that night, before they went any further.

He somehow managed to drag his mouth away from hers long enough to murmur, “Laura.. is this what you really want? I mean you’ve had a few drinks..?”. Laura silenced him with a finger to his lips and replied, “If you’re asking me if I know what I’m doing the answer is yes – and that’s not the wine talking.” At that, a smile lit up his face that despite his years, made him look like so much like a little boy that Laura found herself melting and momentarily wondering how she had ever let him go. “Now I think we’ve done enough talking don’t you?” she whispered, her voice husky, as she pushed his jacket off his shoulders and he shrugged it off. “My sentiments exactly,” Remington replied as he cocked a mischievous eyebrow at her then slowly removed the wrap from around her shoulders.

He took a moment to admire her, the love of his life, as a slow, sexy smile crossed his face. “You know I’ve always loved you in red – ever since that first time we danced together and you wore that delectable red gown and you had your hair up just like this,” he said as he gently brushed one of the wisps of hair back from her face. Laura grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cheek and replied with a dimpled smile, “Why do you think I wore it?”

In response to Remington’s delighted grin Laura started undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. After she’d unbuttoned a few buttons he covered her hand with his and whispered, his eyes holding hers intently , “There’s no need to rush – I’m not going anywhere Laura,” his words having a double meaning, as they both thought back to a significant conversation they’d had on a sidewalk years ago when he’d told her the same thing.

Laura nodded silently then taking him by the hand, led him to her bedroom. “Laura.. are you sure?” Remington asked her as he took her into his arms. Deciding to follow his lead and let her actions speak louder than words she kissed him in a way that left him in no doubt as to how she was feeling. Encouraged by her response, Remington started planting kisses along her neck as Laura couldn’t help giggling. In response to his quizzical look she confessed, “Your beard tickles,” as she wasn’t used to him having a full beard like that. “I’ll have to keep that in mind eh?” he quipped with a devilish wiggle of his eyebrows as he scooped her up and carried her to the bed.

He gently laid her back on it then lay down next to her, as they had done so many times before in the past, pulling her to him and running a hand over her hip as their kisses grew even more passionate. As his hands went to the straps of her dress and began easing them off her shoulders, Laura stopped him for a moment and said a little self-consciously, “Rem, you know I’m not in my forties anymore,”. Even though she had kept in shape, she was now in her early sixties so she thought it was inevitable some things had changed a bit over the years. Remington smiled at her and replied with a chuckle and a twinkle in his blue eyes, “Niether am I.” He then tenderly cupped her cheek in his hand. ”Laura.. you are a beautiful, ma..” he went to reassure her but she cut him off with a warning look, “If you say mature I’m going to kill you Rem!”. He laughed and shook his head. “I was going to say marvellously sexy,” he replied as he kissed and caressed her fears away and slowly continued lowering the straps of her dress, a mischievous, lopsided grin crossing his face as he did so.

Laura responded to him in kind, and needing to feel his body underneath her hands she unbuttoned the rest of his shirt and pushed it off him, as the passion that had always been there flared between them again. She ran her hands over his chest and kissed that spot on his neck that she remembered drove him a little crazy as his hands mirrored her actions. They slowly removed the rest of each other’s clothes, rediscovering each other, both of them a bit amazed at how natural it felt, after all these years. “Glad to see some things haven’t changed Mr Steele,” Laura couldn’t help but comment with a cheeky grin as her gaze drifted southward to the proof of his arousal as Remington flashed her a boyish grin. Ever since they had first become ‘involved’ years ago, she had reserved calling him ‘Mr Steele’ for when they were at work or when she was feeling particular cheeky, and since they weren’t at work he gathered it was the latter. She answered his question when her hand followed her gaze, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him, as her touch still had the same effect on him that it always had. Keen to see if it was the same for her, Remington trailed a hand over Laura’s body, setting her senses on fire as she felt like she was coming alive again, his touch doing something to her that no other man’s had ever done. 

Finally when the two of them could stand no more, Laura pulled Remington down to her and as their eyes met she reached up to brush back the lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead. ”Make love to me Rem,” she urged him, her voice barely a whisper and as he slowly joined his body with hers it felt like he was coming home. They fell into a natural rhythm, their bodies still perfectly attuned to each other and as they reached that magical moment together they clung to each other, both overwhelmed by the emotion of their ‘reunion’.

As they came back down to earth, both trying to catch their breath, satisfied smiles crossed both their faces. “Oh you’re not as old as you look,” Laura laughed cheekily as she ran a hand through her hair and Remington rolled over, enveloping her in his arms as he chuckled in reply, “Well you make me feel like a young man again.” Laura automatically rested her head on his chest as she had done so many times during their time together and confessed as she ran a hand through his chest hair, “I’ve missed this.” Remington’s smile got even wider as he planted a kiss on her head and sighed, “Me too.”

They were both silent for a few minutes, wondering what happens now. As Laura felt his heart beating close to hers, she decided they could worry about that in the morning, but for now….“So Mr Steele – is the old man up for Round Two?’ she teased him with a mischievous grin as she raised herself up on an elbow to look at him. “Who are you calling old?” he replied with a grin of his own as he playfully flipped her over and covering her body with his own they were soon lost in each other again, making up for lost time..


	8. Chapter 8

Remington awoke before Laura the next morning, a delighted grin crossing his face as he found her asleep in his arms, her head resting on his chest, in the exact same position as they had fallen asleep together countless times in the past. His grin got a bit wider as he remembered the night before and what had transpired between them. He brushed a hair back from Laura’s face and brushed her forehead with a kiss, murmuring “Good morning my love.”

“Good morning Rem,” Laura mumbled automatically in her half asleep state and then as she woke up fully she realised who she was with and suddenly remembered what had happened between them the night before. “Rem!” she exclaimed as she sat bolt upright. “What on earth..?? Oh no.. we didn’t..” she muttered as a frown crossed her face. Remington looked at her with surprise at her reaction but couldn’t help cocking an eyebrow mischievously at her as his gaze drifted a bit lower down from her face. “We most certainly did - twice in fact,” he quipped cheekily and as she saw where his gaze was focused she grabbed the sheet and pulled it up to cover herself, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious. “Oh come on Laura – you certainly didn’t cover up last night eh?” he chuckled as he winked at her but instead of the dimpled grin he thought she’d give him, she whacked him on the arm, exclaiming in exasperation, “Ooh you!”

She then hopped out of the bed, grabbing her robe and quickly wrapping it around her while Remington sat up in the bed and looked at her in confusion. “Laura? Why are you angry? Last night was beautiful, amazing..,” he asked as she momentarily closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. While part of her couldn’t help but agree with him, another part of her was afraid to. Afraid to risk opening old wounds and afraid to risk her heart again. Last night she had temporarily lost herself in memories and emotions, and despite trying not to, she had momentarily lost herself in him. And in the cold light of day, that realisation scared her as she had vowed not to do that again.

“Last night was a mistake Rem,” she stated firmly as she opened her eyes to look at him and a perplexed, stricken look crossed his face. “What?? But Laura.. you said.. you said you knew what you were doing. You said ‘Make love to me Rem’ in this very bed if you recall!” he stated, starting to get angry himself as this was typical Laura he thought – doing a total backflip and leaving him as confused and frustrated as ever.

“I know what I said Rem!” she snapped as she went to walk out of the room, not being able to handle the hurt look on his face. “Don’t you walk away from me Laura!” he retorted as he jumped out of the bed and followed her. “Look we both obviously just got caught up in the moment and the emotion of the night and the …” Laura went to reply as she turned round to face him to find him standing there totally naked, stopping her in her tracks momentarily as he stood there wearing nothing but a grin.

“Oh put some clothes on will you!” Laura spat at him as she threw his pants at him, all the while trying to tear her eyes away from him. An exasperated look crossed Remington’s face as he pulled his pants on then followed her into the kitchen.

“You can’t be serious Laura..” he went to say but she cut him off, “Oh I’m very serious Rem!”

“Oh that’s just great – typical bloody Laura!” he threw at her as he ran an exasperated hand through his hair.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded as she stood there with her hands on her hips.

“I’ll tell you what it means - it means you’re letting your head overrule your heart like always. You can’t stand there and tell me last night meant nothing to you!” Remington stated his blue eyes boring into her.

Laura hesitated for a moment, not willing to face the truth but she knew she couldn’t deny that it had meant something to her. “Of course it meant something, but..but we can’t do this Rem,” she replied, her voice somewhat quieter.

“Why not?” he posed the question as she shook her head. “Because we’re divorced that’s why!” Laura stated in exasperation.

“Well that doesn’t mean we have to stay that way,” Remington said as she looked at him.“Rem you can’t be serious..,” she replied.

“Oh I’m very serious Laura,” he echoed her earlier words, as he took a step towards her but she put a hand up to stop him. 

“Rem.. please, we both agreed to get divorced remember?” Laura reminded him as he shook his head and pulled on an earlobe. “Yes I know that but..”

“But what Rem?” Laura demanded as she looked at him expectantly.

He took a deep breath then confessed, “But I didn’t want to – not really.”

Laura looked at him in astonishment, not quite believing what she was hearing. “Well why did you then?” she demanded.

At that Remington sighed, “Because that’s what I thought you wanted and..and I wanted to make you happy. And I still do,” his eyes meeting hers, and the love and honesty she saw in them melted her.

Laura looked at him, not knowing how to respond to that, the wind very much taken out of her sails. “Rem.. I…," she went to reply, her emotions whirling inside her, but he interrupted her.

“Laura .. I’ve got an idea. Spend the day with me - no pressure, no expectations. Just one day Laura – that’s all I’m asking. Let’s see where it goes eh?” he asked hopefully, the vulnerability in his voice touching her.

Not knowing whether she was making the right decision or not, but telling herself that it was just a day after all and knowing she couldn’t refuse him when he was looking at her like that, Laura relented, “Okay, okay,” to be rewarded with the lopsided grin that she had to admit, she still loved.

Laura was just about to say something when the phone rang. “I..ah better get that,” she said as Remington nodded. “Oh hi Liv – how are you? Your Dad..ah..um ..no I don’t know where he is,” she said to their daughter as she exchanged a look with Remington who was trying to hide a grin.

“Well yes he dropped me home but..ah.. I think he said he was going to catch up with Monroe last night,” she thought quickly on her feet as Olivia’s father tried to stop a chuckle escaping his lips and she shot him a warning look. Laura felt bad lying to their daughter but she couldn’t very well tell her they had spent the night together she thought.

“Yes look I’m sure he’s fine – I’m sure he’ll look at his cell phone soon and return your messages,” Laura continued as she gave Remington a pointed look. “Okay yes I’ll see you at dinner tonight – bye sweetheart.” Laura hung up the phone then said to Remington, ”You need to call your daughter – she’s worried sick about you. When she got home this morning and found you weren’t there and then when you weren’t answering your phone she got worried.”

“Well I put it on silent last night – I ah.. didn’t want us to be disturbed,” Remington replied with a cheeky grin as Laura rolled her eyes at him. ”Okay, okay I’ll ring her and let her know I’m okay,” he replied with a laugh then added with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “And I’ve got another call to make too.”

“Oh really? Who to?” Laura asked curiously. “Oh you’ll find out – all in good time Laura,” Remington replied with an infuriating grin as she wondered what on earth he had planned…


	9. Chapter 9

While Laura showered and dressed Remington made his two phone calls, the first to Olivia to assure her he was fine. Like Laura, he didn’t feel good lying to their daughter but he didn’t want to get her hopes up prematurely of a reconciliation between her parents, although he was finding it hard to not get his own hopes up. When he and Laura had made love the night before it had felt like no time had passed between them and he could almost pretend that they were still together. But then this morning in true Laura style, he thought a little ruefully, she had thrown him a complete curve ball when she had said spending the night together had been a mistake. So Remington decided that he was going to prove to her otherwise – that the only mistake they had made was getting a divorce, and to do that he knew he was going to have to pull out all the stops. “So you and Richard have made plans for the day eh?” he asked Olivia as they chatted on the phone. “No that’s fine princess – I’ve got a thing or two to do myself today. How about I meet you at the restaurant tonight? Okay I’ll see you then. Love you too.”

After making the second call he looked in the fridge, shaking his head a little as he did so, at the limited contents he found in there. When they’d been married he’d always made it a point to ensure the fridge was well stocked, enjoying cooking as he did. Nevertheless he managed to find enough ingredients to whip up some crepes for them. Laura came into the kitchen to find him cooking breakfast as the memories of him doing that so many times during their married life, albeit in a different house, suddenly sprang to her mind. Keen to keep a level head though and not let memories cloud her judgement again she remarked, “You didn’t have to make breakfast you know.”

Remington turned around from the cook top to look at her and grinned, replying, “Well we have to eat – I don’t know about you but I’m famished after last night. And you’re welcome by the way.”

“Thankyou,” she conceded as she sat down at the kitchen table as he handed her a plate. Another thing she’d missed about him she found herself thinking as she began tucking into the delicious meal. “You’re welcome to have a shower if you like,” she offered then wondered if that was a good idea as she could just imagine him walking around in nothing but a towel, especially after he’d jumped out of bed buck naked earlier, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control herself around him. Thankfully he’d finished dressing while she was in the shower, although she couldn’t help but notice he’d left a few of his shirt buttons undone.

He looked at her with a mischievous gleam in his eye then replied, “Well seeing as you’ve already had yours I might be a bit lonely unless..?” as he raised a roguish eyebrow at her. “Nice try but no,” Laura stated adamantly, trying to keep some semblance of control under the intent gaze of those blue eyes of his. “Well you can’t blame a bloke for trying,” he quipped cheekily then added, “I’d like to pop back to the apartment and get changed before we head out so I’ll grab a shower there.”

“And where exactly are we ‘heading out’ to?” Laura asked as he grinned at her and pretending to lock his lips replied, “You’ll find out,” enjoying infuriating her as he knew she hated not being in control of things.

Before she had the chance to put her detective skills to work and start interrogating him, he got up and put his plate in the sink and said with a grin, “Well I guess I better order that cab finally eh?”

“Well can you at least tell me if what I’m wearing is appropriate for where we’re going?” Laura persisted.

Remington cast an appreciative eye over the jeans and casual top she was wearing. “Perfect,” he replied with a smile as Laura allowed herself to smile back at him, wondering what the day ahead would hold for them.

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When the cab arrived Remington said to Laura with an almost pleading look, ‘I should be back within the hour okay? Please – don’t go anywhere.”

“Okay, okay,” she replied with a smile at his vulnerability showing again.

He gave her a quick peck, which left both of them longing for more, then flashed her a grin saying, “See you soon,” as he went out the front door, closing it behind him. Laura leant against the door after he’d gone and sighed, “What are you doing Laura?”, wondering if she was making the right choice deciding to follow her heart rather than her head.

The cab dropped Remington off at a house downtown and as it pulled up to the kerb a smile crossed his face. He paid the driver, then hopping out of the cab walked up to the front door and rang the bell. “Ah look at you, you old scoundrel,” the owner of the house greeted him with a smile as he answered the door. “Takes one to know one my friend,” Remington replied with a grin as he gave his old friend Monroe a hearty hug. “Come in, come in,” Monroe showed him inside, just as a little boy ran into the room. “Who’s that Grandpa?” he asked as he looked at the tall man standing there with his grandfather.

“This is one of my oldest friends Max – his name’s Mick,” Monroe said with a grin as Remington grinned back at him, as Monroe still steadfastly refused to call him anything other than the name he had first known him by when they had first met as young men all those years ago. “And Mick this is my grandson Max – he’s a cheeky little terror,” Monroe laughed as he grabbed his grandson and tickled him while the toddler squealed with laughter. “Takes after his Grandpa eh?” Remington laughed then added,”Pleased to meet you Max.”

Max looked at him with a smile that was reminiscent of his grandfather’s then said, “I’m nearly three – how old are you?” Remington chuckled and replied, “Well I’m a bit older than that son,” to which Monroe laughed, “Aren’t we all mon ami.” Remington nodded with a rueful smile then asked Monroe, “Any news on the baby yet?”

Monroe shook his head with a smile. “No not yet – Stephen just called before to say Lisa is still in labour, but hopefully Max’s little brother or sister will be here soon,” he replied as he ruffled his grandson’s hair who then went off to play with his toys on the other side of the living room.

“Gloria would have loved to see these grandbabies of yours - I’m sure she’s watching over them,’ Remington said with a warm smile, in reference to Monroe’s late wife who had passed some years ago. Monroe sighed and nodded, a wistful look in his eye. “Yes she certainly would have my friend.”

“So how was Olivia’s party last night? I’m sorry I had to miss it,” he then asked as Remington smiled. “Well looking after your grandson while his parents are at the hospital preparing to meet their new baby is a pretty good excuse I think,” he replied, then added, “And to answer your question the party went very well.” Monroe looked at his friend and knowing him as he did, recognized a twinkle in his eye.

“Oh and if Olivia asks I spent the night here last night,” Remington added as Monroe laughed, his suspicions confirmed that his friend hadn’t told him everything that had happened. “Oh and why is that? Where did you really spend the night?” he asked with a grin that Remington returned. “Actually..I spent it with her mother,” he confessed as Monroe looked at him with surprise. “With Laura?” he asked as Remington nodded in confirmation. “And how was that?” Monroe asked curiously as Remington’s grin got a little broader. “It was amazing – like we’d never been apart,” he replied then added a little wryly, “Until this morning anyway.”

“Oh – why is that mon ami?” Monroe asked as Remington sighed, “It’s Complicated.”

“Yes I get it’s complicated Mick but..” Monroe went to reply but Remington shook his head. “No I mean, the movie, ‘_It’s Complicated’, Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin – Universal Pictures, 2009_,” he rattled off as Monroe looked at him quizzically. “A divorced couple start having an affair with each other..anyway you get the picture. But movie references aside, it is complicated,” he explained with a rueful grin.

Monroe looked at him then asked, ”Why is that my friend? You still love her – I know you do.”

“Yes I certainly do but my lovely ex-wife, true to form, despite falling into my arms willingly last night, panicked this morning and told me last night was a mistake,” Remington explained as he ran a hand through his hair. “So what are you going to do?” Monroe asked as a gleam lit up Remington’s eyes. “Well you know I’m a man who loves impossible challenges so I’m going to rise to this challenge and convince her the only mistake we’ve made is getting divorced. She’s agreed to spend the day with me and that my old friend is where my other girl that you’ve been taking such good care of for me comes into the plan.”

At that Monroe got up and got a set of car keys from a nearby shelf and handed them to him with a smile. “Here you go mon ami. Good luck with your plan – I hope you can convince Laura to give it another go.”

“Me too mate, me too,” Remington replied as he held the keys to the Auburn in his hand, hoping he was doing the right thing. As if reading his mind Monroe said to him seriously as he patted him on the back, ”You need to at least try Mick - I would give anything to have the chance to spend another day with my Gloria. You and Laura need to be together my friend – life is so short, don’t waste another day being apart.”

Remington smiled gratefully at him. “I know mate, I know. Now I just need to convince Laura,” he stated, hoping that he would be able to do so.


	10. Chapter 10

“Sorry I can’t stay longer mate but I still need to drop by the apartment and have a shower and grab a change of clothes before I get back to Laura,” Remington said to Monroe as he got up to leave, “But we’ll definitely have to catch up again before I go.”

“Well if all goes well you’ll be hanging around for a while mon ami,” Monroe replied with an encouraging wink as Remington grinned hopefully and nodded. Monroe and his grandson accompanied him out to the garage and when Monroe opened the door to reveal the Auburn inside Remington’s grin got a bit wider. He ran a nostalgic hand over one of the fenders as a host of memories came back to him. “You’re still in good shape old girl,” he murmured with a chuckle then added, “Now I need you to work your magic one more time.”

He then thanked Monroe and gave him another hug and with a wink said to Max, “You keep an eye on your Grandpa here young Max so he doesn’t get up to mischief,” as Monroe laughed and gave him a knowing look, “And don’t you go getting up to too much mischief my old friend. Say hi to Laura for me.” At that, Remington hopped in the car and started it up and replied with a grin, “Well I give no guarantees. And I will say hello to Laura for you.” Monroe smiled as he shook his head and waved goodbye to him, “Still the same old Mick.”

Remington quickly stopped by the Rossmore and showered and changed into a pair of black chinos and a casual black shirt. He found Olivia’s picnic basket and filled it with a few things and grabbed a picnic rug as well, then keen to get back to Laura before that beautiful head of hers had time to overthink things and change her mind, he floored the Auburn back to her house, enjoying driving it again.

Laura was more than surprised when she saw the Auburn pull into her drive as she thought Remington had sold it years ago. She opened the front door to greet him as he walked up to it with an adorable, boyish grin on his face. “Your chariot my lady,” he said with a sweep of his hand. “But..I thought you sold the Auburn?” Laura laughed. “Well..I couldn’t bear to part with the old girl,” he replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, then added, “Monroe’s been keeping her for me.”

Laura couldn’t help but smile at the surprise and Remington’s infectious enthusiasm as he opened the passenger side door for her. “So how is Monroe? Any baby news yet?” she asked as Remington started up the engine and shook his head. “No not yet – but he said he’ll let me know as soon as there’s some news. He said to say hello,” Remington replied with a smile.

As they drove along Laura found herself relaxing. It was a beautiful warm Sunday and driving along in the Auburn with the breeze in her hair and Remington sitting next to her brought back so many memories. Memories of happier times before it all started to fall apart. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind for the time being though and decided to just enjoy the here and now. As she thought that, she caught Remington stealing a glance at her and she couldn’t deny how that made her feel and how much she had missed that feeling. And she couldn’t help stealing a few glances at him every now and again, admiring his still exceptional taste in clothes and the stylish sunglasses that completed his outfit.

Before she knew it he had turned into a large park which she immediately recognized as McCullum Park, where they had first encountered the Auburn years ago. A dimpled smile crossed her face as they drove through the expansive grounds, finally stopping near a large chestnut tree with a bench around it.

“This looks like a good spot for a picnic eh?” Remington remarked with a lopsided grin as he turned off the ignition. “We’re a bit old for running through the park aren’t we?” Laura replied drolly, remembering their first time there. At that Remington wiggled his eyebrows mischievously and quipped, “Who said anything about running?”

Laura couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re full of surprises aren’t you?” as Remington grinned at her and they got out of the car. He popped the trunk and pulled out the rug and picnic basket and as he spread the rug and put the basket down and began taking things out of it, Laura’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Where did you get all this stuff?” she asked incredulously.

“Well unlike her mother, our darling daughter knows how to stock her refrigerator and pantry properly,” Remington teased with a cheeky twinkle in his eyes, as Laura took the bait and playfully hit him on the arm protesting, “I know how to do that too, thank you very much!”, both of them enjoying, and to be honest a bit surprised by, the easy banter they had fallen back into.

Laura looked around and then recognized the tree they were sitting under – it was the same one Remington had caught her under years ago when they had been chasing each other through the park, and as it turned out the same one that a diamond necklace had been buried near. She couldn’t help remembering how they’d kissed after he’d caught her under that tree, and how carefree and happy she had felt that day. Oh how she’d led him on a merry chase that day, which when she reflected on it, was an apt metaphor for their relationship - him chasing and her running away, although to be fair he had run a few times as well. Maybe Bernice was right she reflected, they were more alike than they were different.

“So you just happened to choose this particular tree randomly?” Laura asked as he cocked an eyebrow at her. “No,” Remington replied as he took a bite out of a bread roll and handed one to her. And just when she thought he’d pulled out all the stops he surprised her yet again when he produced a bottle of wine and two glasses and a box of chocolates.

“Do you always do everything on such a grand scale Mr Steele.. or should that be Mr Pearson?” Laura couldn’t help asking with a mischievous gleam in her eye, both of them remembering her asking him that the day they had first met when he had bought her a magnum of champagne. Remington also remembered his response to her that day. “Only when I’m aroused,” he repeated the response he’d given her long ago, his intent blue eyed gaze having the same effect on her that it had done all those years ago.

“With curiosity?” Laura played along, remembering the conversation as if it had been yesterday, as she raised an expectant eyebrow at him. At that Remington grinned at her and leaning in closer to her murmured, “Yes..amongst other things,” as he brushed her lips with a kiss, tentatively at first to gauge her reaction, as even though she had responded to him enthusiastically the night before, the way she had reacted earlier this morning had thrown him somewhat. Laura allowed herself to respond to him, to feel rather than to think, if only for a little while. The fact he had gone to all this trouble to organize this romantic outing touched her, and she found her walls coming down bit by bit. She wasn’t sure where he was headed with all this but she was willing to hear him out at least and a little bit of kissing never hurt anyone either, she thought to herself as her lips curved into a smile against his. If she was being honest with herself, despite panicking this morning, she was yearning to feel his familiar touch again.

Spurred on a bit by her reaction, Remington deepened the kiss but then remembering where they were, he reluctantly drew back from her. When Laura went to protest he replaced his lips with a chocolate as she giggled with delighted surprise. “Oh you don’t fight fair,” she said with a rueful grin as she savoured the delicious taste of the chocolate, although it wasn’t quite as delicious as his lips. “All’s fair in love and war Laura,” he replied with a dazzling smile as a dimpled smile crossed Laura’s face in return.

“Liv is going to notice this box is gone you know,” Laura laughed as she took another chocolate, knowing their daughter had inherited her chocolate addiction, which she and Frances referred to as ‘the Holt curse’. Remington grinned a little ruefully in reply and nodded. “Oh yes I know that – that’s why I plan to replace it before she realizes it’s gone.”

“Smart move,” Laura laughed as Remington chuckled in reply and opened the bottle of wine and filled a glass for them each. As the day wore on they found themselves talking and laughing more together and just enjoying each other’s company again after so long apart.

After a lull in the conversation Remington looked at Laura and asked gently, “Do you think we gave up too easily Laura? Do you think we should have fought harder to save our marriage instead of fighting each other so much?”.

Laura hesitated for a moment or two, not really sure how to answer that. “Maybe,” she conceded with a sigh as she focused her gaze on the ground and found a tear or two springing to her eyes. Although she was still a bit reluctant to go there, she knew that they had to, and Remington’s new found openness to talking had taken her pleasantly by surprise.

He nodded silently then tenderly brushing a strand of hair back from her face he said, “I’m sorry Laura – I don’t think I told you that before and I should have. I’m sorry I hurt you and I’m sorry I didn’t fight harder to save our marriage.”

Laura had not been expecting that at all and his admission made the last of her defences come tumbling down. The tears that she had fought so hard to hold back suddenly spilt down her cheeks as she tried to hurriedly wipe them away. “I..I’m sorry too,” she confessed as she raised her eyes to look at him, a host of emotions coursing through her – love, regret, sadness, fear and a small flicker of hope. All of the same emotions that her ex-husband was feeling as he gently wiped away her tears, that were tearing his heart in two.

“How did we get here Rem?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper as she covered his hand with her own. “I’m not sure Laura, I’m not sure,” Remington sighed then added as he kissed her hand, “But I think the more important question is – where do we go from here?”

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	11. Chapter 11

Niether of them had an easy answer for that, so they mutually agreed to talk further about it later and for now just enjoy the sunshine and each other. As the sun started to sink a bit lower in the sky, Remington and Laura realised that they should get going, although both were reluctant to leave the other, albeit temporarily, after making something of a breakthrough with each other. Although they were both still wondering “what now?” they decided to just focus on enjoying each other’s company for the time being. They also knew they had dinner with their daughter and her boyfriend that evening, and that they would have to both be on their game to not give away what had happened between them the night before or that they had also spent the day together.

As they packed up the picnic rug and basket and put it back into the car Laura turned to Remington and said sincerely, “Thank you for today – it was lovely.” Remington’s grin in response warmed her heart as he replied, “You’re very welcome. Yes it was lovely wasn’t it?”

He dropped her back to her house and before she hopped out of the car she surprised both of them when she kissed him good bye rather thoroughly. “See you at dinner,” she stated with a somewhat mischievous twinkle in her eye, Remington having brought to life again her playful side which she thought she had lost over the years. And she had to admit it felt good to be like that again – to not have to be so serious, so focused – to just be able to switch off and have a bit of fun for a change. “You certainly will,” Remington replied as he cocked a devillish eyebrow at her and went to pull her to him for another kiss but she skipped out of his reach and hopped out of the car as he grinned ruefully at her. “You need to behave at dinner too – the less Liv knows the better at this stage,” Laura said to Remington as she gave him a knowing look. “Me behave? I think you need to heed your own advice Laura,” he retorted, happy to see her more relaxed, playful side coming to the fore.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Rem,” Laura replied seeming innocently, the lilt of her laughter warming his heart. “Of course you don’t,” he laughed then added with a grin, “Till tonight then.” Laura smiled and waved to him as he gunned the engine of the Auburn and drove off, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

****************************************

Remington arrived back at the apartment to find a note from Olivia to say she and Richard had gone on to the restaurant already and would meet him and Laura there. He made a note of the restaurant’s address then quickly showered and changed, whistling happily to himself as he did so. He wondered how he was ever going to act normally around Laura that evening but he was certainly looking forward to seeing her again. He felt like he had when he’d first met her, looking forward to going into the agency each day so he could see that dimpled smile of hers or hear the lilt of her laughter, or see that spark she got in those beautiful brown eyes when she’d figured out the solution to a case.

He knew they still had a ways to go but after the day they’d just spent together he was quietly hopeful that they could work things out. But tonight he didn’t want to push it too much – he just wanted to enjoy a delicious dinner with his two favorite girls, and also get to know a bit more about the guy who his little girl had fallen for.

He pulled up outside the restaurant and noticed Laura’s car parked outside already as a grin spread across his face and he thought to himself, “Same old Laura – still likes to be ahead of time.” He buttoned up his suit jacket and walked into the restaurant to find Laura sitting at a table with Olivia and Richard. “Sorry I’m a bit late folks,” he greeted them all with a smile as he came up to the table, giving Olivia a peck on the cheek and shaking Richard’s hand. He then turned to Laura and trying to keep his expression neutral remarked as he gave her a peck on the cheek as well, “Hello Laura – you look lovely,” as he couldn’t help but notice how the white dress she was wearing contrasted with her sun kissed skin from their day spent in the sunshine. “Thankyou Rem – you don’t look so bad yourself,” as she tried to hide her smile as she took in the sight of him dressed in a grey suit with a sky blue shirt that matched his eyes.

Olivia noticed the exchange with interest, as her father took his place at the table next to her mother, then she asked, “So what did you get up to today Dad?”. Willing himself not to look at Laura as she kept her expression neutral he replied nonchalantly, “Oh I went for a drive and ended up at a lovely little place and I caught up with some old friends.” As he said the last bit he flashed a surreptitious glance Laura’s way as she took a sip of her wine in an effort to hide her reaction to him. “And you look like you got a bit of sun Mom,” Olivia commented as Laura involuntarily blushed a little and Remington tried to hide a smirk, wondering how she was going to explain that. “Oh well.. I ah went for a run and I spent some time in the garden today,” she replied hurriedly then in an effort to change the subject grabbed a menu and said, “Shall we order?”

“Excellent idea,” Remington agreed as he caught her eye and couldn’t help flashing her a smile. The four of them chatted for a while, Remington observing with appreciation how attentive Richard was to Olivia. At one point Laura, who was feeling pretty tired after a day in the sun and a rather ‘active’ night, stifled a yawn. Remington couldn’t help but quip cheekily, “Had a hard night did we?”. Laura rolled her eyes at him and gave him a kick under the table for good measure, which he tried his best not to flinch at. Then thinking to herself, ‘Okay mister two can play that game,” she shot him a meaningful look and replied, “Yes I did actually – very hard,” as she tried not to grin at the look on his face which he quickly tried to hide.

“Couldn’t you get to sleep Mom?” Olivia inquired as her father suddenly seemed very interested in his meal. A mischievous twinkle lit up Laura’s eyes as she stole a quick glance at Remington then replied cheekily, “Oh I did eventually - I guess something was keeping me up before that,” as he almost choked on his food. “Dad! Are you okay?” Olivia asked with concern as he coughed a bit and nodded and gave her mother a rueful look. “I’m fine sweetheart - a bit of food must have gone down the wrong way,” he reassured her as Laura tried not to smirk and he couldn’t help shaking his head a little at her.

Right, fair’s fair Laura, Remington thought devilishly to himself as he turned to her and asked with an innocent look on his face but a mischievous twinkle in his eye, “Fancy a bit of my steak Laura? It’s very tender,” as she tried to control her expression – she didn’t know whether to laugh at his innuendo or roll her eyes, so instead she smiled over sweetly at him and replied, “No thanks Rem – I’ve had my fill.” He flashed her a lopsided grin and thought cheekily to himself “indeed you have my dear”, leaving both Olivia and Richard wondering what was going on with the two of them.

Fearing he might give the game away though, Remington then turned to Olivia and Richard and asked how they had met, as the young couple exchanged a smile. “Well it was quite funny actually. My friend Mel, you remember her Dad - my roommate from college,” Olivia replied as her father nodded then she went on. “Well she set me up on a blind date but it didn’t exactly go to plan,” as she grinned at Richard and Remington looked at them with interest. “Really – why’s that? You’re together after all,” he asked, a little perplexed. At that they both laughed and nodded then Richard explained, “Yes that’s true but I wasn’t the Richard Liv was supposed to meet.”

In response to her father’s confused look Olivia enlightened him. “The guy Mel had set me up with, who was also called Richard, didn’t show up at the restaurant for some reason. And then Richard here walked in, and he fit the description Mel had given me – tall, dark and handsome,” she said as she smiled at him, “And I asked him if he was Richard and he said yes and the rest is history.”

“So it was a case of mistaken identity and you played along with it?” Remington asked the young man, thinking to himself he may have just found a kindred spirit, who suddenly looked a bit worried what Olivia’s father would think of him. “Well.. yes I did but I did fess up eventually. And I mean how often do you walk into a place and find a beautiful girl there and it turns out you’re just what she’s looking for?” he tried to defend his actions as he smiled at Olivia and to his relief a matching smile crossed her father’s face. “Oh indeed mate - not often at all. You’re very lucky when you do though ,” Remington replied a little ruefully as he stole a glance at Laura and then to the young man’s relief he added with a grin, “And I’m rather familiar with cases of mistaken identity,” as Laura thought to herself, ”you certainly are,” flashing him a meaningful look as she did so.

“So how did you two meet?” Richard then asked the two of them. Remington chuckled a little in reply. “Do you want to answer that or shall I?” he asked Laura. “Be my guest,” she replied with a dimpled smile, curious to see how he would explain it. “How we met eh?” Remington repeated as he looked a little uncomfortable for a moment but then regained his composure. “Well we met working on the same case,” he stated, thinking to himself that technically that was true. “Oh I thought you worked at the detective agency together?” Richard asked curiously. “Oh yes well eventually we did,” Remington replied as he gave Laura a ‘Help me out here’ look. Taking pity on him she chimed in, thinking quick on her feet, “ I was working for another agency at the time, and then I guess we came to an arrangement,” as Remington nodded in agreement and flashed her a grateful smile.

“That must be exciting – being a private investigator,” Richard enthused as both of Olivia’s parents nodded. “Oh it had its moments,” Remington replied with a wry grin as Laura agreed, “Oh indeed.” As Remington started to regale Richard with some tales of their more exciting cases Laura couldn’t help admiring him in his element – a master storyteller, embellishing a fact or two here and there, and totally captivating his audience.

While the two men were chatting Olivia excused herself to go to the Ladies Room and Laura decided to go with her. “So Richard and your Dad seem to be getting along,” Laura remarked with a smile as Olivia smiled happily and nodded, glad that the two most important men in her life liked each other. “Speaking of which – what’s with you and Dad? Both of you are acting weird,” Oliva stated, cutting right to the chase as she had inherited her mother’s forthrightness. Laura looked momentarily taken aback, but then put her best poker face on. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied innocently but Olivia was not convinced. “Mom – why do I get the idea you’re not telling me something?” she demanded, her hands on her hips, which reminded Laura so much of herself that she had to stifle a grin.

“Liv, your Dad and I are just enjoying some dinner conversation with you and Richard that’s all, “ Laura retorted then keen to get off the topic of conversation, added with a laugh, “Now how about we get back to them before your Dad convinces Richard he saved the President or something like that?”.

Olivia couldn’t help but laugh at that as she nodded in agreement and relented, “Okay, okay,” although she still got the feeling that her mother was hiding something and that whatever it was, her father had something to do with it. She didn’t like to get her hopes up after they had been apart for so long but there was a spark in her mother’s eyes, and her father’s too now she came to think of it, that she hadn’t seen in either of them for a very long time..


	12. Chapter 12

While Laura and Olivia were in the Ladies Room, Richard turned to Remington and said, his tone serious, “Mr Steele..while Olivia’s not here, there’s something I’ve wanted to talk to you about.” Remington looked at the earnest look on the young man’s face, and with a smile replied, “Certainly Richard – go ahead. And please call me Remington.”

Richard smiled gratefully then swallowing a little nervously stated, “Well ..Remington, as you know Liv and I have been seeing each other for a while now..”. Remington nodded and as he looked at his daughter’s boyfriend he caught a glimpse of his younger self, around about the same age, and head over heels in love with a girl who had the same gorgeous dimpled smile and beguiling charm as Richard’s girlfriend did. “Well.I..I’d like to ask for your blessing for me to ask her to marry me,’ Richard went on, a hopeful look on his face then he added with a grin, “I would have asked for your permission but I think you know your daughter as well as I do and that being an independent woman she wouldn’t appreciate that.” At that Remington nodded with a rueful grin and agreed, “Oh indeed – just like her mother.”

He then looked at Richard and asked seriously, “Do you love her?”. Richard nodded and replied sincerely, ”With all my heart,” echoing Remington’s words to Murphy the night before in relation to Laura. With his ability to read people that he had learnt from a young age, Remington could tell the young man was telling the truth and after observing them together he could tell they were made for each other. He nodded and smiled as he said, “Then you have my blessing Richard,” then added in a slightly sterner tone and a steeley look in his blue eyes, “But if you hurt her you’ll have me to answer to – and her mother, and believe me mate that is something you don’t want!”. Richard gave Remington a meaningful look. “I have no intention of doing that and I suspect that Liv has inherited her mother’s temper am I right?” Remington nodded with a rueful grin as Richard continued, “ So I don’t want to get on Laura’s bad side, or yours. But rest assured, I love your daughter and all I want to do is make her happy and share the rest of my life with her.”

Remington remembered feeling exactly the same way years ago when he had proposed to Laura – well proposed to her properly, not when he’d convinced her to agree to a quickie wedding on a tuna boat in order to stop him from being deported. He had thought back then, somewhat naively as it turned out, that they would spend the rest of their lives together. With that thought in mind he turned to Richard and said, “A word to the wise my young friend – when things get rocky, as they do with any marriage trust me, don’t give up. You’ve got to fight for your marriage and fight for her, and remember how you feel about her today. Promise me you’ll do that okay?” Remington said seriously, and as he did so, he realised he needed to heed his words himself. Richard looked at him and replied seriously, “I promise.”

Remington smiled warmly and patted him on the shoulder saying “Good man,” and then as he looked up he spied Laura and Olivia heading back to the table. He surreptiously nodded towards them as Richard spied them as well, the two men then going back to chatting casually so that Laura and Olivia wouldn’t know what they had been discussing.

After finishing their dinner and a delicious dessert the four of them headed out to the parking lot. Remington leaned in to give Laura a peck on the cheek, whispering in her ear as he did so, “I wish I could kiss you properly – I’ll miss you tonight.” Trying to keep her expression neutral so as not to give anything away she murmured back, “Me too.” Reluctantly drawing away from her he then turned to Olivia and Richard and bid them farewell, telling Olivia he would see her back at the apartment , figuring that Richard would want to drop her off. The young couple smiled at him gratefully and he waved to them as they got into Richard’s car then he turned to look at Laura one more time as she flashed him a smile before getting into her car.

He had just got back to the Rossmore and was fishing his key out to open the apartment door when he heard the message tone on his phone. Wondering who it could be he pulled out his phone as he stepped inside and turned on the lights. A smile lit up his face as he saw it was from Laura. “Just got home – wish you were here.”

He sat down on the couch and pulled his glasses out so he could read a little better as he texted back, “Wish I was there too. I just got back to the apartment,” his mind going back over the previous night and what had transpired between him and Laura.

“Liv home yet?” Laura texted back.

“No not yet. Speaking of which - Richard told me tonight he’s planning to propose to her, he asked for my blessing.”

“I know – he told me last week and asked for mine too,” Laura texted back as a look of surprise crossed Remington’s face. Laura smiled to herself as she imagined the look on his face when he realised Richard had asked for her blessing first. Taking pity on him a bit she added to her text “He wanted to wait to ask you in person.”

Somewhat placated by that, Remington texted back, “Well ok then. Anyway, I gave him my blessing. He’s a good guy and I can see he loves her.”

“Yes he does – I’m sure he’ll make her happy,” Laura texted back.

“Speaking of making people happy – I can’t stop thinking about last night. I haven’t felt like this for a long time Laura.”

Laura’s smile got a bit broader as she realised she felt the same. “I can’t stop thinking about it either,” she confessed as a lopsided grin crossed Remington’s face.

With a mischievous gleam in her eyes Laura texted him back, “Imagine what we could be doing in front of that fireplace in the apartment.”

Remington almost dropped the phone with surprise as a hearty chuckle escaped his lips, a host of memories running through his head. ‘You cheeky minx’ he thought to himself as he shook his head a little ruefully. “What are you trying to do to me Laura?” he texted back, imagining that cheeky dimpled smile of hers and the mischievous twinkle in her deep brown eyes.

“Why? Is it working?”

He was just about to message her back when Olivia walked into the apartment. “Hi Dad,” she greeted him as he quickly put the phone down, almost guiltily. “Oh hi sweetheart,” he replied, trying to appear nonchalant as the message tone went off on his phone. “You’ve got a message Dad,” Olivia pointed out when he didn’t immediately pick up his phone. “Oh yes.. right,” he replied, wondering what message her mother had sent him now and how he was going to hide his reaction to it.

“What’s the matter Mr Steele? Lost for words??” he read as he tried to suppress a grin. He tried to quickly send a response but in his haste his message came out as, “You knpw I’m neber lisy fir worts Layra – Liv jusr cqme hime.”

When Laura’s response was ‘???’ with a laughing emoji he realised what he’d sent. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath with a rueful grin. “How do you youngsters manage to text so fast and still make sense?” he asked Olivia with a laugh. “It’s easy Dad,” she replied with a laugh of her own then asked, “Who are you texting like a teenager anyway?”.

“Oh..ah just an old associate of mine,” he replied, thinking quickly on his feet, with a twinkle in his blue eyes as he thought to himself technically that was true, although he could imagine him copping a heel to the foot from Laura if she heard him refer to her as old, even when he didn’t mean it in that sense.

Keen to get back to his texting he faked a yawn then said, “Actually sweetheart I’m feeling a little tired so I think I might hit the sack if that’s okay. “

“Sure Daddy - goodnight,” Olivia replied with a smile as she gave him a peck on the cheek. “Goodnight princess,” Remington replied as he planted a kiss on her head then added sincerely, “Richard’s a good guy Liv – I’m glad you found him.” Olivia flashed him her smile that reminded him so much of her mother’s and stated, “Thanks Dad - me too.”

She then headed into the bedroom and as soon as she had closed the door he grabbed the phone again and settled down on the couch. “Laura? Are you still there? I was just talking to Liv.”

“Where else would I be Rem?”

“Oh I don’t know – thought maybe you might have got a better offer 😉.”

“Better than last night? I don’t think so 😉”

Remington tried to suppress a chuckle. “My sentiments exactly. I must admit I’m feeling rather lonely without you here next to me. As well as a couple of other things 😉,” he texted back as a cheeky lopsided grin crossed his face.

“You read my mind Rem.”

“We must be on the same wavelength eh?”.

“Seems so.”

Remington paused for a moment then texted, his grin getting a bit wider, “You know what - I rather miss being a Peppler.”

Laura smiled at the memory of a drunk Remington, his head in her lap, his blue eyes seeming even bluer with a bit of drink in him, looking up at her and saying those exact same words to her.

“Me too – they made such a good couple,” she replied, as she felt an ache in her heart.

Remington sighed with regret then replied, “They certainly did. Shame about the divorce.”

Laura hesitated for a moment, knowing she felt the same, but still a bit afraid to admit it. She then summoned up her courage and texted back, “Yes it is.”

Remington felt his heart lighten a bit as he read her reply, then thinking he ought to quit while he was ahead he replied, “As much as I would love to continue this conversation I think we should do that in person don’t you think? I’ll see you tomorrow and we can talk more then. Goodnight Laura – sweet dreams. I know who I’ll be dreaming about. Xx”

“Yes agree - we need to talk. Good night Rem – sweet dreams xx,” Laura signed off as well, the two of them wishing they could fall asleep in each other’s arms again and wondering what tomorrow would bring..


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning Remington couldn’t wipe the grin off his face as he whistled to himself while he made breakfast for himself and Olivia, his heart light after his text conversation with Laura the night before. “Morning Dad – you’re awfully chipper this morning,” Olivia observed as she came into the kitchen. “Well why wouldn’t I be? It’s a beautiful sunny day and I have my beautiful daughter by my side,” he replied as he gave her a peck hello, as he thought to himself, and with a bit of luck your mother and I are getting back together.

They chatted over breakfast, Olivia informing she was heading over to her art studio in her mother’s old loft to work on her latest piece. “I must pop round and have a look later,” Remington replied with a proud smile, then added, “I’ve just got a couple of things to do this morning so I might pop by this afternoon if that’s okay?” Olivia nodded then washed up her plate and bade her father goodbye. “I’ll see you later on then Dad,” she said as she gave him a quick hug. “You sure will princess,” he replied with a smile.

Not long after Olivia left, Remington grabbed the keys to the Auburn and headed over to Century City, planning on surprising Laura. He stopped off at a florist on the way and bought a single red rose to give her. As he pulled into the underground car park and rode the elevator up to the 11th floor a host of memories flooded back to him of the countless times he’d done that in the past.

Meanwhile Laura was in her office, her thoughts going back over the time she had spent with her ex-husband over the last couple of days, and she couldn’t wait to see him again. She thought of ringing him to see if they could have lunch together or something, and she also realised she owed Bernice a phone call as she’d left her a message the previous day, and as she’d been rather occupied she hadn’t had a chance to ring her back. As if reading her mind the phone on her desk then rang and as she picked it up she couldn’t help hoping it was Remington.

“Laura Holt Investigations – Laura Holt speaking,” she said into the receiver. “You’re a hard woman to get a hold of Laura,” she heard Bernice laugh on the other end, as she tried not to feel a twinge of disappointment. “Hi Bernice – sorry I haven’t had a chance to return your call,” she stated.

“No problem – been busy hey?” Bernice replied cheekily as Laura tried not to grin, then Bernice added, “So..don’t leave me in suspense anymore - what happened when Skeeziks dropped you home after Olivia’s party?”

Laura paused for a moment before replying just as Remington walked though the doors of Suite 1157. “Morning, morning, morning,” he greeted the secretary cheerfully as he’d done to Bernice and Mildred so many times over the years. “Carly isn’t it?” he asked her with a dazzling smile as she nodded and replied in a somewhat puzzled tone as she recognized him, “Mr Steele?” wondering why her boss’s ex-husband was there. “Is Laura in her office? She doesn’t have a client with her does she?” he asked as he nodded towards her office door. “No but I think she’s on the phone,” Carly informed him as he replied with a grin, “No worries, I’ll just wait in her office for her to finish her call,” then he headed towards the door, as he couldn’t wait another second to see her.

Meanwhile Laura was continuing her conversation with Bernice. A mischievous gleam lit up her eyes as she admitted to Bernice, “Well.. you know how I said that ship was never docking in my port again…,”

She tried not to laugh as Bernice squealed,” No! You didn’t??”

“I did – twice in fact,” Laura admitted as a grin spread across her face, just as Remington was about to knock on her office door, but then he hesitated for a moment as he heard her speaking on the phone, his curiosity getting the better of him. “I did something crazy Bernice,” she added and as Remington heard her say that the smile quickly faded from his face, thinking to himself that she regretted what she had done. That despite what she’d said and texted to him yesterday, the amazing night and the beautiful day they had spent together meant nothing to her.

His fears & insecurities getting the better of him, Remington turned on his heel, not bothering to listen to the rest of her conversation. A frown clouding his handsome features he stormed out, tossing the rose into the rubbish bin near Carly’s desk and letting the door slam behind him, not hearing Laura say to her longtime friend, “I did something crazy Bernice and I’m so glad I did. I realise now that I still love him – I never stopped.”

She was just about to say something else when she heard the agency door slam and wondering what was going on she hurriedly said to Bernice, “Hey can I call you back? I just have to check on something.”

She hung up and quickly stepped out of her office to catch a glimpse of a tall, silver haired man walking away quickly from the agency doors towards the elevators. “Was that..?” she asked Carly who confirmed, “Your ex-husband? Yes it was. I don’t know what happened though – he just came in a few minutes ago beaming from ear to ear and then he overheard your conversation I guess and then he turned and stormed out. He certainly didn’t look very happy. Oh and he brought you this,” as she fished the rose out of the bin and gave it to Laura.

What he’d overheard her saying and obviously misunderstood suddenly dawned on Laura as she exclaimed “Oh no!” then she dashed out of the doors to follow him and explain. She got to the elevators just as they were shutting and she caught a glimpse of his crestfallen, angry face and the hurt in his blue eyes pierced her right to the core as the doors shut between them just as she went to say, “Rem - let me explain.”

She pounded on the shut doors in frustration, cursing under her breath as she did so, then ran back into the agency to grab her bag and car keys so she could follow him. “Come on, come on!” she muttered impatiently as she jabbed the elevator button, hoping to catch him before he left. One finally came as she hopped into it, and she ran out into the car park as soon as the elevator reached the basement, only to see the Auburn tearing out of the exit. Guessing where he might be headed she quickly got into her own car then floored it so she could catch him before she lost him again…


	14. Chapter 14

Remington was thankful he had driven the route from the agency to the Rossmore in the Auburn so many times it was almost automatic for him, as he was too upset to think clearly. The happy bubble he’d been in had been very much shattered by what he’d heard Laura say and his emotions were in turmoil. When he got to the apartment he stormed inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He then strode purposefully into the bedroom and grabbing his suitcase, started angrily pulling his clothes out of the wardrobe and threw them in, all the while muttering to himself, “Bloody stubborn, infuriating woman! Hasn’t changed one bit!”. He wondered if he’d been a fool, allowing himself to think, indeed to hope, that they could get back together, that they could just wipe away eighteen years of being apart and pretend that the things that had drove them apart in the first place weren’t still there. Once his anger abated a little, he suddenly stopped what he was doing and slumped down onto the bed, his head in his hands, trying desperately to decide what he should do.

His first instinct was to run – like it had always been for as long as he could remember, when things got rough. A new name, a new life and start all over again and leave the past behind where it belonged. But his heart was telling him something different – he didn’t want to leave Laura and his past behind, he couldn’t, no matter how frustrating she was at times. He had realised over the past eighteen years that as much as he tried, he couldn’t live without her, not really. Without her in his life, he was merely existing - the only real joy in his life now was their daughter. But the past couple of days he had spent with Laura had made him feel like he had come back to life, until about thirty minutes ago anyway. Now he felt like his heart had been ripped out and torn in two.

Lost in his troubled thoughts he didn’t hear the apartment door open until he heard Laura’s voice as she let herself in with her key. “Rem? Are you here?” as he found himself momentarily rueing the fact that she knew him so well and had guessed that he would head back there. She came into the bedroom just as he stood up, his back to her. “Rem – thank God you’re here. I need to explain - what you heard on the phone..,” she started to say as she came up to him but he cut her off, his tone clipped, “Oh I heard enough Laura.” She let out an exasperated sigh then she spied the open suitcase on the bed - she could tell how upset he was as he hadn’t even bothered to fold his clothes before he’d put them in there, so unlike his usual meticulous self.

She looked at him in shock – sure she knew he was upset, but she didn’t think he’d run again, not after the wonderful couple of days they had just shared. “You’re leaving?” she asked, trying to hide the hurt and disappointment in her voice. “I..I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing Laura,” he muttered in frustration, a frown clouding his handsome features. “I guess there’s no reason for me to stay is there?” he threw at her, his jaw clenched and a muscle working in his cheek.

Laura ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep calm. “You are unbelievable you know that?! You hear a minute of a conversation and go jumping to conclusions..”

“I’m unbelievable?! Oh that’s rich coming from you Laura!” he threw back at her angrily, his blue eyes blazing. “You said all these things to me, made love with me even, but when push comes to shove and it all starts to get too real, you put up your bloody walls again!”

“I am not putting up walls!” Laura retorted. “You’re the one who’s putting up walls and doing what you always do when things get complicated – running!”

“Well why would I stay?” he demanded, his voice raising almost to a bellow.

“Well if you shut up for long enough and listen to me I’ll tell you why!” she threw back at him, as she stood with her hands on her hips, then added in a softer tone, “Because you didn’t hear all of what I said to Bernice. Yes I said I did something crazy which you obviously heard, but you didn’t hear me tell her I’m glad I did – because.. I love you Rem. In fact I never stopped loving you.” As she said that she took a step closer to him, her eyes searching his, willing him to believe her.

Remington looked at her in shock, her confession knocking the anger out of him. He didn’t know what to think at first, but when he saw the look in her eyes and her hopeful dimpled smile, he knew she was being honest with him, and with herself. “You.. you do?” he asked, as he suddenly found tears springing to his eyes from the sheer emotion of the moment, which tugged at Laura’s heartstrings and she found herself fighting back her own tears. “Yes I do,” she confirmed as she closed the remaining distance between them, deciding to show him by her actions as well as her words, just how much she loved him. She tenderly took his face in her hands and brought her lips to his in a bittersweet kiss that conveyed the depth of her emotion for this man who had captured her heart so long ago. When she finally drew away for a moment, the lopsided grin that she loved crossed his face and he stated, “I love you too Laura. Always have, always will.”

“Come here,” he then whispered, as he let out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding as Laura moved willingly into his embrace and he held her next to his heart, both of them knowing that’s where they needed to be. “Oh I’ve missed you my love,” Remington confessed as he rested his chin on her head. ”I’ve missed you too Rem.. so much,” Laura replied. ”I have never felt as lonely, even when I was a child, as I have these past eighteen years. I guess when you’ve finally had love and lost it you feel it’s loss more,” Remington added perceptively as Laura nodded silently, knowing she felt the same way.

“So.. what now?” she asked as she looked up at him, not sure where to go from here. They both suddenly felt like they were back walking on the beach at Malibu, after their time at the Friedlich Spa, trying to figure out how to move their relationship forward. When Remington didn’t immediately reply Laura voiced the myriad of emotions she was feeling. “I mean I want to get back together with you Rem more than anything but…” she faltered as Remington looked at her, concern in his eyes, as ‘buts’ usually meant trouble. “But?” he asked cautiously. Laura looked down to the floor for a moment, then meeting his gaze she replied honestly, “But I’m scared I’ll hurt you again and I couldn’t bear to do that.”

Remington looked at her and shook his head slightly as a smile crossed his face. “You’re not going to hurt me Laura,” he reassured her gently. “How can you be so sure Rem? Look at how I just hurt you now with one misunderstood phrase,” Laura countered. “Laura listen to me, I don’t want to hurt you either but instead of worrying about what may or may not happen, how about we learn from the mistakes we made in the past and just take it day by day? Anyway we’re older and wiser now eh?” Remington said with a grin as Laura shot him a rueful grin of her own. “Well older maybe – not sure about the wiser yet,” she laughed as did he.

“But seriously Rem how is this going to work? I mean your home is in London now,” she then pointed out but he stopped her with a finger to her lips. “My home is wherever you are Laura,” he stated, his blue eyes shining with his love for her. “I don’t want to end up like Daniel, wasting all those years. Or Monroe, missing the love of his life for the rest of his days,” he added sincerely. “I don’t want to spend another day away from you Laura – I want you and I and our daughter to be a real family again.”

“I want that too,” Laura confessed, her lips finding his again, just as said daughter walked into the apartment. She had popped back home quickly to grab some new paint brushes she had bought and forgotten to take when she had gone to her studio earlier. She had noticed her father’s car parked out the front of the apartment building, but in her haste had failed to notice her mother’s car parked a bit further up the street.

Engrossed in each other as they were, neither of her parents heard her come in. “Dad? Are you here? I’ve just come to get some..” Olivia said as she walked into the bedroom then stopped short at the sight of her parents in each other’s arms, kissing rather passionately. “Mom? Dad? What on earth is going on??!!” she exclaimed in shock and confusion as they sprang apart like a couple of busted teenagers, her father swiping a hand over his mouth while trying not to grin, and her mother running a hand through her hair as a blush coloured her cheeks.

“Liv! Ah.. hi sweet heart. Your father and I were just..well..” Laura tried to explain but their daughter interrupted her.

“I could see what you were ‘just’ doing Mom! The question is why??” Olivia demanded as she looked expectantly at both of them then asked hopefully, “Are you getting back together?”

“Well princess that’s just what we’ve been talking about. Your mother and I..well .. we’ve been spending some time together these past couple of days and I guess it’s both made us realise a few things,” Remington put in as Laura nodded.

Olivia’s eyes widened as realization suddenly hit her. “That night after my birthday party when you dropped Mom home – I’m guessing you didn’t really stay at Uncle Monroe’s did you Dad?” she asked, her blue eyes meeting her father’s as he chuckled in reply and put his hands up in fake surrender, “Okay you found me out princess – guilty as charged,” then remarked to Laura with a cheeky lopsided grin, “She’s not your daughter for nothing.” He then turned to Olivia and continued, “Your mother and I spent a wonderful night together..”

“Okay, okay Dad I don’t need to know the details,” Oliva replied hurriedly as sheepish grins crossed both her parent’s faces.

“Let’s just say we’re taking it a day at a time Liv,” Laura stated as Remington nodded in agreement.

Olivia stood there stunned for a moment or two – she had always secretly hoped her parents would get back together, but the older she had got and the longer they had been apart, the less likely she had thought that would be. She was almost scared to believe it was true but looking at the expressions on both of their faces she could see they meant it. Overwhelmed a bit with emotion she found a lump forming in her throat and tears springing to her eyes as she hugged them both and they enfolded her in their loving embrace.

When they had all composed themselves after a moment or two Olivia said, “Well I guess I’ll leave you to it then. I’ll see you later,” her dimpled grin mirrored by her mother as she gave them both an affectionate peck on the cheek. “It’s good to see you two together again,” she stated sincerely with a smile as her parents smiled back at her and each other. “Yes it is princess, yes it is,” Remington replied as his lopsided grin got a bit wider and he put an arm around her mother and they saw Olivia out.

Once she’d left Remington turned to Laura and said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “ Well I guess the cat’s out of the bag now eh?”.

“I guess so,” Laura agreed with a laugh, the lilt of her laughter warming Remington’s heart as he pulled her back into his arms. “Now where we?” he quipped as he cocked a mischievous eyebrow at her. ”Oh about here I think,” Laura replied with a smile as she pulled his head down to hers and they were soon lost in each other again, making up for lost time..


	15. Chapter 15

“How about we grab an early lunch Laura?” Remington suggested when they’d finally managed to draw apart as he was keen to spend every moment he could with her, now that they’d finally admitted their feelings to each other. “That sounds lovely,” Laura replied with a warm smile, as she was feeling the same way. “Come on – I know just the place,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the apartment. “Okay,” Laura laughed, wondering what he had planned.

Not long after, they pulled up to Claude’s in the Auburn, one of their favourite restaurants from days gone by. Laura’s eyes lit up with delight, which was rewarded with a lopsided grin from Remington as he got out of the car and opened up the door for her, then taking her by the arm he led her inside.

Claude himself greeted them with a surprised smile. “Mr Steele?! Welcome back – it’s been a while. And Mrs Steele – you look as lovely as ever,” he said, then realised his faux pas, remembering that they had divorced quite some time ago. “Oh my apologies Miss Holt,” he corrected himself as he looked slightly embarrassed. “No apology needed Claude – and please call me Laura,” she reassured him with a gracious smile, as both her and Remington reflected on how nice it sounded to have her referred to as ‘Mrs Steele’ again.

Claude returned her smile with a grateful one of his own as he showed them to a table. “I’m sorry your old table isn’t available Mr Steele – if I’d known you were coming..,” Claude went to apologise but Remington brushed it off with a wave of his hand, saying, “Not a problem my good man – after all it has been a while since we’ve been here. And we just decided on the spur of the moment to pay a long overdue visit to your fine establishment.”

They ordered their meals then chatted over a glass of Dom Perignon. In response to the dimpled smile that suddenly crossed Laura’s face Remington asked, “Why the smile my love?”.

“I was just remembering the first time we had dinner here and I told you I hated it when you were nice to me, after you’d told me I was a good detective,” she confessed as Remington looked at her curiously.

“And why do you think that was – that you hated it, I mean?” he asked, thinking seeing as they were finally being honest with each other it was as good a time as any to ask. Laura sighed a little then confessed, “I think I was scared.” In response to his raised eyebrow she continued, “Scared to admit that you felt something for me and that I felt something for you.”

He nodded as he took a sip of champagne then admitted, “I think we were both scared Laura. I’d never felt for another woman what I felt for you – what I still feel for you- and quite frankly it terrified me.”

Laura smiled at his honesty, wondering if they’d been able to be as honest and open with each other eighteen years ago if they would have ended up divorcing. As if reading her mind Remington continued, “Let’s face it, neither of us really had a good example growing up of what it took to make a marriage work, what with your father leaving and my parents never having been married at all.”

Laura nodded in agreement, knowing it was true. She hesitated for a moment then said, “I.. I know I put my insecurities over my father leaving onto you Rem and I’m sorry - that wasn’t fair of me to do that.”

Remington shook his head as he covered one of her hands with his own. “You don’t need to be sorry Laura. Truth be told, I think I did something similar. I was so used to people I cared about letting me down and casting me aside that I didn’t trust you enough to know you wouldn’t do that to me.”

“But that’s just the thing Rem- I did do that,” Laura stated as she fought back her tears.

“No you didn’t – not really. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here Laura,” Remington countered, his intent gaze holding hers. “How about we make each other a promise eh? Let’s not be ruled by the mistakes our fathers made any more, and let’s leave the past where it belongs, in the past, and focus on the future instead – our future,” he stated sincerely, a hopeful smile crossing his face.

“I’ll drink to that,” Laura replied, her smile mirroring his.

“To us,” Remington raised his glass to hers as Laura did the same and echoed his words as they clinked them together then both took a sip just as their meals were brought to the table.

After finishing eating, Laura excused herself to go to the Ladies Room. While she was in there Claude came up to Remington and asked with a smile, “Will you permit me a question Mr Steele?”. Remington grinned and replied, “Of course Claude – fire away.”

“Am I to take it there is hope of a reunion with you and Laura?” he asked as Remington’s grin got even wider. “I’d say there’s a fairly good chance of that,” he replied happily as Claude beamed back at him.

“Well I’m very glad to hear that – I was sorry to hear you had parted ways. As I remember saying to you the first time the two of you dined here, she is still by far the finest of the staggering array of women you brought here over the years.”

“Indeed she is Claude, indeed she is,” Remington agreed his, eyes on her as he watched her coming out of the Ladies Room and heading back to the table.

After paying the bill and wishing Claude a fond farewell, Remington dropped Laura back to her car. They reluctantly parted ways, albeit temporarily, as Laura had some client meetings that afternoon that she couldn’t reschedule. Before she hopped into her car, Remington pulled her into his arms, his lips finding hers as she responded to him just as enthusiastically.

“Come over for dinner tonight – I’ll cook. Liv told me this morning she’s going out with Richard tonight so we’ll have the place to ourselves,” he said as he cocked an eyebrow mischievously at her. Laura couldn’t help but laugh at his cheeky expression, and his invitation did sound rather appealing – just the two of them enjoying one of his gourmet creations, not to mention each other. “Dinner and a movie Mr Steele?” she teased with a dimpled smile as he grinned at her and quipped cheekily, “Something like that.”

“Till tonight then,” Laura stated as she stole another kiss then hopped into her car and drove off, the smile on her face matched by the one on Remington’s as he called back, “Till tonight,” and waved after the car, both of them looking forward to the night ahead.

*************************************************

Later that afternoon as he had promised, Remington headed over to Olivia’s studio, as keen to see her artwork as he was to talk to her after she’d walked in on him and her mother earlier. He knew she had always wanted them to get back together so he was wondering how she was feeling about the fact that that was now a distinct possibility. She greeted him with a smile as she answered his knock, sliding back the loft’s door, just like her mother had done so many times before in the past. “Hi princess how are you?” Remington greeted his daughter, unable to wipe the smile off his face. “I’m fine Dad – and no need to ask how you are I guess?” Oliva chuckled as she gave him a knowing look and his smile got a bit wider. “No I guess there isn’t,” he agreed as he stepped inside.

“So..how do you feel about that? If your mum and I were to get back together I mean?” Remington asked her seriously as he sat down on the sofa she kept in the studio and patted the space next to him for her to sit down as well. “Well it’s no secret I’ve wanted you two to get back together ever since you split up.. “, Olivia stated with a smile as her father nodded, then she added, “But I just hope you aren’t rushing into it Dad.”

“I’d hardly call waiting eighteen years rushing into it Liv,” he chuckled as did she then she continued, “No I guess not but you know what I mean – I just don’t want to see either you or Mom hurt again. That was hard enough the first time round.”

Remington looked at her as he felt the all too familiar pang of guilt and regret over the effect their divorce had had on their daughter. He knew their constant fighting hadn’t been good for her either, so both he and Laura had felt at the time that separating and eventually divorcing was the best option both for them and Olivia. But it had been a big adjustment for her – not having them living in the same house or even the same country anymore, and dividing her time and affection between the two of them. For a while when they had first started sharing custody of her, Olivia would try to pretend when she came back to the other parent that she hadn’t enjoyed her time with the other, feeling torn between the two of them.

It didn’t take her detective parents long though to figure out what she was up to and they had both sat her down and explained to her that it was okay for her to love them both as she had always done, and that didn’t mean she was being disloyal to either of them. That had eased her mind somewhat but it had still been difficult to watch her beloved parents both trying to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives and move on without each other, all the while trying to put on a brave face for her. She had sometimes heard her mother crying late at night when she thought she was asleep, or caught her father staring off into space, a morose look on his face. With the wisdom of a child she had always known what it had taken them eighteen years to figure out – that they belonged together and neither could be truly happy without the other.

Remington then patted her reassuringly on the hand and asked, “Do you remember when you were a little girl and I was teaching you how to swim?”. Olivia nodded as she looked at him curiously, wondering what that had to do with anything. He smiled then continued. “Remember how you were scared to jump into the pool at first, but I told you sometimes you just have to jump into things feet first and don’t overthink it or else you could miss out on something really great?”

Olivia smiled as she replied, “Yes I do Dad.”

“Well I figure this is one of those times Liv. Your mother and I have been given a second chance to make it work and I’m going to grab that chance while I can and well I guess, jump in and hope for the best,” Remington stated with a lopsided grin. “Over the past eighteen years and especially the last few days that I’ve spent with her, I’ve come to realise that try as I might, I can’t live without your mother and that I was a fool to walk away from her all those years ago. So I don’t want to waste any more time thinking about what could have been – I want to focus on what can be, here and now.”

Olivia watched him as he said that and the happy twinkle in his blue eyes warmed her heart and eased her fears as she hoped and prayed that he was right and that they could make it work this time.


	16. Chapter 16

Laura found it hard to concentrate on her client meetings that afternoon, as she couldn’t wait to be back in Remington’s arms. When she’d finally wrapped up the last one she quickly dashed home to get changed then headed over to the Rossmore. Remington opened the door when he heard the bell, a dazzling smile on his face as he saw the love of his life standing there. She greeted him with a broad smile of her own as he stepped aside to let her in, then not able to wait a second longer he pulled her into his arms, bringing his lips to hers for a tender kiss.

“How was your afternoon?” Remington asked when they finally drew apart. “Long,” Laura confessed with a dimpled grin, “I couldn’t wait for it to be over so I could get back to you. How was your’s?”

“Good, good – I went over to see Liv at the loft, I mean the studio,” he corrected himself with a lopsided grin. “I wanted to have a chat to her..about us.”

“How did that go?” Laura asked, wondering what their daughter thought about them getting back together as much as Remington was. “Okay I think. Well she was a bit worried that we may be rushing into things,” Remington replied. “After 18 years?” Laura laughed as he chuckled and nodded. “That’s exactly what I said. And then I told her that sometimes you have to not overthink things and just jump in and hope for the best. I think maybe we made that mistake first time round – overthinking things I mean, don’t you think?” Remington posed the question as Laura nodded against his chest.

“Yes I think you may be right,” she agreed then added with a sigh, “How did we get it so wrong Rem?”

He shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t know Laura – old fears & insecurities maybe? But what I do know is that we also got a lot right – so how about we focus on that now eh?”

“Sounds good to me,” Laura replied, her brown eyes shining with her love for him. “Speaking of things that are right – what is that delicious aroma I can smell?”

“That my dear is canard au vin rouge,” Remington replied with a smile which was mirrored by Laura. “Wasn’t that the first dish you ever cooked for me?” she asked as he nodded.

“Yes it was – although if memory serves me correctly we didn’t get to eat it that night as you had me go undercover at that sleep clinic remember? So I thought it would be kind of poetic to cook it tonight– a new start so to speak?” he replied, his blue eyes twinkling at her as Laura nodded, touched by his romantic gesture.

“Do you need a hand?” she offered as he shook his head with a smile. “Thank you but no – it’s almost done. Why don’t you just sit and relax eh?” Remington replied as he poured Laura a glass of wine which she gratefully accepted.

While Remington busied himself in the kitchen, Laura sat down on the lounge and looked around the apartment, a myriad of memories coming back to her of being there with him. One memory in particular came to mind – the night she had finally realised she was in love with him. The night after her house had been bombed and burnt to the ground and as she was effectively homeless she had stayed at the apartment with him. Hearing her distraught sobs in the middle of the night he had comforted her and gave her hope with the story he had told her from his past. And then when she had confessed that if he asked her to sleep with him that night she wouldn’t be able to say no, he had selflessly replied that that night he didn’t think he could ask, not wanting to take advantage of her vulnerable state. In that moment she had seen him for what he really was – instead of just a handsome, charming, former conman and thief, she had seen the heart of gold and the selfless nature that lay beneath the suave exterior. And that gesture, along with countless others over the years, had shown her the depth of his feelings for her.

With that thought in mind she got up and went to the kitchen and just stood admiring him for a moment or two while he worked, barefoot and clad in jeans and a casual white linen shirt. He still took her breath away, even after all these years, and no other man had ever stirred her passion as much as he had. As he leant over to grab something out of a bottom drawer she took the opportunity to playfully slap him on the behind. “Why you little minx!” he let out a surprised chuckle as he turned around and grabbed her. “Well I like to make the most of opportunities when they present themselves,” Laura replied with a mischievous grin. “Oh you do eh?” Remington cocked an eyebrow at her then claimed her lips with his own, Laura responding to him just an enthusiastically.

“Rem..” Laura whispered after a while. “Uh huh,” he replied rather absently as he continued kissing her. “I think something’s boiling over,” she pointed out as his lips curved against hers in a cheeky grin, “Oh I know luv - and I’ll give you one guess what,” as he pulled her closer to him. Feeling his very obvious arousal, Laura laughed and flashed him a sultry smile as she pulled her lips away from his long enough to say, “Well yes there’s that but I was actually talking about dinner,” nodding towards the stove as she did so.

“What?” Remington asked, still in something of a desire fuelled haze then suddenly realised what she’d said. “Oh no!” he exclaimed as he quickly turned back to the stove and turned it down. “Okay you need to get out of the kitchen and stop distracting the chef or else we’ll have no dinner at all,” he chuckled as he reluctantly pushed her towards the door. Laura’s laughter warmed his heart as she blew him a kiss and as she went to step out the door he wiggled his eyebrows devilishly at her and quipped, “I’m looking forward to dessert though.”


	17. Chapter 17

As they ate dinner they talked and laughed together, both enjoying the easy familiarity they had fallen back into. Laura complimented Remington on another culinary masterpiece then added with a dimpled smile, “It beats noodle soup that’s for sure – although you managed to even make that appetizing,”, the two of them remembering back to that night again after Laura’s house had been bombed.

Remington grinned in reply as he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin and said as he cast an appreciative eye over her, “Speaking of appetizing..you are looking especially delectable tonight Laura.” 

“You old charmer you. You’re not trying to get lucky are you?” Laura replied with a laugh and a knowing look in her eyes. 

Remington suddenly looked like a little boy with his hand caught in a candy jar as a low throaty chuckle escaped his lips, “Why? Is it working? And who are you calling old eh?” as he cocked an eyebrow at her.

With that Laura got up from her chair and walking over to him, took him by the hand and pulled him up into her arms. “Oh it’s working Mr Steele,” she murmured huskily as she linked her arms behind his neck. “And you’re definitely not old – as you proved the other night,” she added with a smile as she ran a finger down the V of his partially open shirt, knowing full well what that would do to him. “Well how about a repeat performance then?” Remington asked with a mischievous grin as he pulled her closer to him. “You read my mind,” Laura murmured then asked, “Is Liv coming home at all tonight?”. 

Remington shook his head, “No I don’t think so.”

“Probably just as well - wouldn’t want her walking in while we’re.. well you know,” Laura stated with a meaningful look and a dimpled grin. Remington nodded a little ruefully and said, “Oh indeed. Remember when she was about five or six I think and she walked in on us that time?” 

Laura couldn’t help but giggle at the memory, “I’ve never seen you cover up so quick,” as Remington chuckled as well. “Yes well let’s not forget after you told her Mummy & Daddy were having a ‘special cuddle’, that she promptly informed her teacher during ‘News’ time the next day that her parents liked to have ‘special cuddles’ with no clothes on.”

“Yes well that certainly made for an interesting parent-teacher discussion didn’t it?’ Laura laughed as did Remington then he quipped cheekily, “Well I could do with one of those ’special cuddles’ now - preferably with no interruptions this time.”

“Me too,” Laura replied as she pulled his face down to hers for a searing kiss that left them both shaken. Without breaking contact with each other they made their way over to the fireplace. Remington sat down in front of it and gently pulled Laura down next to him. “Well this brings back memories,” Laura commented with a smile. ”Indeed it does my love,” Remington replied, his eyes shining with his love for her as he tenderly traced her cheek. He stretched out his long, lean frame beside her and following his lead, Laura lay down next to him, their bodies pressed against each other.

“Hmm – if only I had some copies of ‘Bedside Babes’ to toss into the fire – page 46 wasn’t it?” Remington teased with a devillish wiggle of his eyebrows as Laura playfully hit him, “Ooh you!” as he chuckled in response, then grabbing her hands in his, pulled her to him. He ran a hand through her hair and whispered with a smile, “I love you Laura. I was such a fool to ever leave you.” Laura blinked back the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes, overwhelmed with emotion as she was. “I love you too Rem – and I was a fool to let you go,” she confessed as she brought her lips to his.

They kissed slowly for a while until they both needed more, their kisses deepening as their touches and caresses became more urgent, igniting the strong flame of desire between them yet again. Unable to resist, Laura unbuttoned the rest of Remington’s shirt and ran her fingers over his chest and lower which evoked the desired response from him as he mirrored her actions.

“Good lord woman – what are you doing to me?” Remington muttered huskily, the lilt of Laura’s laughter arousing him even more. “Well if you don’t know by now..,” she breathed as she began unbuckling his belt. “Oh I’ve got a pretty good idea,” he replied with a delighted grin as Laura’s hand found it’s target. Following her lead, he pushed off her blouse and made short work of her bra and as his hands found her breasts Laura couldn’t help the moan of pleasure that escaped her lips. Spurred on by her response Remington trailed a hand over her stomach which trembled a little under his touch, then moved lower to where she needed his touch the most.

“Rem..” his name escaped her lips as she arched against him. ‘”Sssh,” he murmured, a lopsided grin crossing his face as he instinctively knew what she craved. With maddening slowness he began planting little kisses on her face then trailed down her neck, then continued on his journey as he removed the rest of her clothes, Laura pulling him even closer to her as he expertly aroused her. Sensing she was close to reaching the peak of her pleasure Remington was somewhat surprised when she tugged on his hair to get his attention. In reply to his questioning look she murmured,”Your turn,”, the look she gave him, momentarily taking his breath away. With that she playfully flipped him onto his back and tugged his jeans and briefs off, then took her time as he had done to her, driving him crazy with desire in the process.

“Laauraa…” he groaned, his jaw clenched, as she teased him, her brown eyes filled with mischief. She then finally put him out of his misery as she aroused him as he had done to her. Both knowing they wanted to hit the peak together, Laura then straddled him as he pulled her hips down to meet his. As they finally became one and took each other over the edge, they both knew it wasn’t just their bodies that were united, but their hearts and souls as well.

Wrapped in each other’s arms as they basked in the afterglow, they were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying being in the security of each other’s embrace, knowing they were both where they were meant to be. After a while, Remington shook his head with a chuckle. “What’s so funny?” Laura asked, a little perplexed.

“Oh I was just thinking what a fool that Wilson was. I remember him describing you as ‘absurdly passionate’ as if that was something to be ashamed of – well unlike him, I thank my lucky stars you are. Your passion, and your strength and determination are what make you you Laura – they are the very traits I fell in love with all those years ago. And I thank my lucky stars we’ve been given a second chance,” Remington replied as he ran a hand tenderly through her hair.

As he said that Laura nestled into his chest, his words as well as his actions, washing away the last of her fears and insecurities. She now knew, well if she was being honest with herself, what her heart had always known, that he had always accepted her and loved her just as she was. When her father had left her and then Wilson and yes even when Remington had left, although they had agreed to leave each other, she had always felt that it was because of the way she was. She was too headstrong, too passionate, too unlike her mother or sister, too hard to live with. But this man, the love of her life, with his blue eyes and mysterious past, had not only given her his love, he had also given her the freedom to be herself – and for that she was eternally grateful.

“So do I Rem and I want to thank you – thank you for loving me for me,” she whispered as she tenderly stroked his jaw. Remington caught her hand in his and kissed it, a smile lighting up his face. “You’re welcome Laura. And thankyou for teaching me how to love – not only you, but also myself. Until I met you I never dared to dream I could be more than the lot I seemed to have been dealt in life – I never felt like.. like I was enough,” he confessed, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. “You are more than enough,” Laura reassured him as she squeezed his hand. “And you are exactly what I’ve needed my whole life and still do.”

“My sentiments exactly my love,” Remington agreed as he tenderly kissed her and pulled her closer to his heart, knowing he would never let her go again…


	18. Chapter 18

After a while Remington murmured with a rueful lopsided grin, “As lovely as it is here in front of the fire, my back unfortunately isn’t what it used to be,” as he got to his feet and offered Laura a hand up. “Well thank goodness some other parts are,” Laura quipped with a mischievous grin as Remington chuckled at her cheekiness, glad to see ‘wild Laura’ coming to the fore. “Indeed,” Remington agreed as he cocked an eyebrow at her then taking her by surprise, he scooped her up into his arms. “Rem!” Laura squealed with laughter as he walked into the bathroom and turning on the shower, proceeded to deposit her into it before following her inside.

“I thought you had a bad back,” Laura commented as he grinned and replied, “It’s fine when I’m upright.”

“So it is,” Laura couldn’t help but chuckle as they both knew she wasn’t only talking about his back as he laughed as well then pulled her to him. Their laughter and their passion flowed just as the water did over them, bringing back memories for both of them of doing the very same thing and in that very same shower, several times in the past.

When they finally emerged and dried off, Laura pulled Remington’s shirt on, something she had liked to do in the past as he raised a cheeky eyebrow at her. “I must say it looks better on you than it does on me”, he commented, especially appreciating the fact that she had left the top few buttons undone. “Oh I don’t know about that,” Laura replied with a grin as she planted a kiss on his lips, “although I do prefer you without it I must admit,” she added with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she ran a hand over his chest.

“You are a wicked woman Laura,” Remington chuckled as a lopsided grin crossed his face. “You love it,” she stated with a grin of her own as he nodded in agreement. “I certainly do,” he agreed as they shared another kiss, then he said, “Now we’ve had dinner.. and dessert,” with a devilish wiggle of his eyebrows which elicited a laugh from Laura, “So how about that movie eh?”

Laura nodded as they went back out to the living room and settled down on the lounge, Remington flicking through the tv channels until he found what he was looking for. “Ah here we go – ‘From Here to Eternity’, Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Columbia Pictures, 1953,” he rattled off as Laura smiled, thinking to herself, ‘Old habits die hard.’

“Kind of apt eh?” he asked as he wrapped Laura in his arms and she leant back against him. “What is?” she asked as she rested her head back on his shoulder. “The title – From Here to Eternity, as that’s how long I’ll love you for,” he replied sincerely, his blue eyes shining with his love for her. “I feel the same Rem,” Laura confessed as she laced the fingers of her left hand with his. In reply, Remington brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, an idea forming in his head as he looked at her ring finger.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms watching the movie, Laura waking the next morning to find her head on his chest and his arms protectively around her. A smile crossed her face as she realised she had never felt as safe and secure as she did when she was wrapped in his arms – whether it was sharing a thread bare bed in a homeless shelter, or a sleeping bag in a wild west ghost town, or the bed they had shared during their married life, or here and now, on a lounge in the apartment where their love had first bloomed. Careful not to wake him, she raised her head so she could look at him – his face, though older now, was still incredibly handsome and he still had that vulnerable, little boy look while he slept which melted her heart, just like it had done the first time she had seen him asleep. “The great Remington Steele,” she whispered with a smile, just as she had done all those years ago. As she planted a soft kiss on his lips he stirred momentarily, then opened one eye and then the other, a smile crossing his face as he saw hers in front of him.

“Morning Rem,” she greeted him, and he was relieved to see she wasn’t reacting like she’d done the other morning upon waking up to find them together. “Morning my love,’ he greeted her as he pulled her a little closer. “I could get used to this,” he added as he tenderly traced her cheek. “Me too,” Laura replied with a smile then added with a reluctant sigh, “But unfortunately I do need to get to work.”  
“But not straight away eh?” Remington asked with a hopeful grin. “Well no, not straight away..” she admitted with a cheeky, dimpled smile. “Why? What did you have in mind Mr Steele?"  
“Oh something like this,” he replied as he gently pulled her face down to his for a kiss and they were soon lost in each other again..

********************************  
Meanwhile across town..

“I guess I should head home and see what those parents of mine are up to,” Olivia announced with a wry smile to Richard as she went to get out of bed. “And I need to get to the office – although I’d rather spend the day with you,” Richard replied as he stole a kiss off her. “Me too,” she admitted with a dimpled grin as Richard asked with a grin of his own, “Do you think your Mom ‘stayed over’?”.

“Oh I have no doubt she did,” Olivia replied with a knowing look. “Aren’t they a bit old for all that?” Richard laughed as Olivia shook her head with a chuckle, “You don’t know them like I do.”

**************************************************

“So I’ve been thinking Laura about moving back here to Los Angeles,” Remington announced while they were eating breakfast. Laura couldn’t help the happy smile that crossed her face, but ever the pragmatist, she asked, “That sounds wonderful Rem, but what about your Foundation in London?”

“Well I’ve been thinking about that – I’ve got some very good people working for me there who would be more than capable of taking over and running it for me. And I’ve had something of an idea,” he replied with an excited gleam in his eyes which intrigued Laura. “Oh? Do tell,” she urged him.

“Well I was thinking of opening a branch of the Foundation here in Los Angeles, after all there’s plenty of underprivileged kids here as well,’ Remington stated as Laura nodded. “Indeed there are – that’s a great idea Rem.”

“Yes I thought so,” he agreed with a grin then added, “And I know just the man to help me,” as he pulled out his phone and started dialling.

Downtown, a curly haired man in his late forties picked up the phone that was ringing on his desk, wondering who could be calling this early as he’d just got into the office. “Welcome to Legal Aid – Jackie Crawford speaking. How can I help you?” he answered the phone.

“Hello Jackie – Steele here,” Remington greeted him as a smile crossed Jackie’s face.

“Mr Steele – good to hear from you. How are you?” he replied with genuine affection for the man who had set him on the straight and narrow all those years ago. “Are you back in LA? How long are you here for this time?” Jackie asked.

“Well my young friend that’s what I’d like to talk to you about. I need your help with something if you’re interested,” Remington replied, then added with a laugh, “And when are you going to stop calling me Mr Steele?”

“Never,” Jackie replied with a laugh of his own, “you’ll always be Mr Steele to me. And I don’t know how young I am anymore either,” Jackie laughed a little ruefully in response to Remington referring to him as his ‘young friend’. “I’m not far off fifty you know. But I’m happy to help you out – what did you have in mind?”

“Well how about we grab a bite to eat somewhere today and I can tell you a bit more eh?” Remington suggested as Jackie gladly agreed and they organized to meet up for lunch.

*************************************  
Remington and Laura had just finished breakfast when Olivia arrived back home and she was not the least surprised to find both of her parents there. “Hi Dad,” she greeted Remington with a smile as she found him clearing plates off the table as he smiled at her in return and planted a kiss on her head. “Had a good night did we?” she asked with a mischievous raise of her eyebrows that reminded him so much of himself that he laughed out loud.

“Yes we did thanks Liv,” her mother answered with a mischievous grin as she came out of the kitchen and as she gave their daughter a hug, Olivia remarked with a laugh, “Mom - you’re wearing Dad’s shirt?!”

“I know,” Laura replied as cheeky grins spread across both hers & Remington’s faces and Olivia shook her head at them with a smile.

“Seriously Mom, Dad- I mean you’re both in your sixties now you know,” she pointed out.

“Well we may be old but we’re not dead sweetheart,” Remington quipped with a mischievous grin. “I mean your mother is a beautiful, vibrant woman..” he went on as he winked at Laura, the two of them enjoying stirring her up a bit. Playing along, Laura went and stood by his side and putting an arm around him said, “And you father is still a very handsome, virile man..’

“Okay, okay that’s enough you two! I don’t need to hear about my parents’ sex life thanks very much!” Olivia cut them off as she put her hands to her ears, while her parents chuckled mischievously.

“Well Mommy & Daddy still enjoy their special cuddles..,” Laura couldn’t help but add as she and Remington cracked up laughing and Olivia rolled her eyes at them in a fashion very reminiscent of her mother.

“Okay that’s it - I’m getting changed and leaving you two to your own devices,” Olivia laughed, knowing them as she did. “Okay, okay we promise to behave Liv,” Remington replied with a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes then he asked, “And we haven’t asked you how your evening was?”

“It was lovely thanks Dad,” Olivia replied with a twinkle of her own. “So, have any special discussions or anything?” Remington asked seemingly innocently, wondering when Richard was going to pop the question, as Laura elbowed him and shot him a warning look.

“Nothing in particular - why?” Olivia replied, somewhat perplexed by her father’s question.

“Oh no reason,” he recovered, putting on his best poker face. “I just meant that good conversation is such a vital part of a relationship - wouldn’t you agree Laura?” he asked, hoping she’d throw him a lifeline. “Yes of course Rem,” Laura followed his lead, as Olivia looked at them both a little suspiciously and replied, “Okay.”

“Anyway you need to get changed Liv and I need to get to the office,” Laura added in an effort to change the subject. Once Olivia had disappeared into the bedroom, she turned to Remington and hissed under her breath, “What do you think you were doing? You almost gave it away!”

“Well I was just curious,” he whispered back, trying to defend himself as he rubbed his ribs a little where she’d elbowed him. “I mean he’s got both our blessings so when’s he going to propose?”

“Well I’m sure she’ll tell us when he does. Maybe he’s planning some romantic proposal or he’s waiting to get the ring?” Laura replied in a hushed tone, just before Olivia re-emerged from the bedroom.

“What are you two whispering about now?” she asked as they both tried not to look sheepish.

“Oh your mother was just whispering sweet nothings in my ear,” Remington quipped with a grin as Laura tried not to laugh at the look on Olivia’s face.

“Well I’m heading off to the studio – I’ll catch you both later then,” Olivia said as she kissed them both and told them she loved them. ‘Love you too sweetheart,” her parents both replied as she smiled at them then said, “I’m glad you two have finally seen sense and realised you belong together.”

Remington and Laura exchanged a loving look then Remington replied, “So are we sweetheart, so are we,’” as Laura nodded in agreement.

*************************************  
Laura left not long after Olivia, arranging for Remington to come to her place for dinner that night. They bade each other a reluctant farewell, both looking forward to seeing the other again as soon as possible.

Before he caught up with Jackie, Remington made a stop at an exclusive jewellery store, the proprietor greeting him by name with some surprise, as although he had been one of his best customers in days gone by, he had not seen him for quite a while. “Mr Steele – what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?” the proprietor asked him.

“I’d like to have a look at some engagement rings thanks Marcus – top of the range preferably,” Remington replied with a smile.

“Of course – anything in particular you had in mind?” Marcus asked as he pulled out a velvet lined tray from a display cabinet that had an array of rings on it. “Something exquisite - for an exquisite woman,” Remington replied as his smile got a bit broader. “Am I to assume you are about to marry again?” Marcus inquired as Remington nodded. “That’s the plan my good man,” as he picked up one of the rings and began inspecting it.

“May I ask who the lucky lady is?”

“My ex-wife,” Remington replied with a lopsided grin at the surprised look on Marcus’s face. He was just about to pick up another ring to inspect when the door opened and another prospective customer came in. Remington noticed out the corner of his eye that it was Richard.

Not wanting Olivia or Laura to find out his plans just yet, Remington quickly said under his breath to Marcus, “That young man who just came in is my daughter’s soon to be fiancé. I’d rather prefer he didn’t know I was looking at engagement rings – I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Marcus nodded with a smile and replied quietly, “Of course Mr Steele - your secret is safe with me,” as he quickly put the rings away then Remington took off his watch and was handing it to Marcus when Richard spied him. “Mr Steele.. I mean Remington, what a coincidence seeing you here,” Richard greeted him. “Oh hello Richard. Yes it is isn’t it? I’m just in here getting my watch fixed – Marcus here is the best jeweller in town,” Remington replied as Marcus smiled at him gratefully.

“Well that’s good to know. I gather you can guess what I’m here looking for,” Richard replied a little nervously as Remington nodded with a smile then he introduced the two men to each other.

“Marcus – this is Richard, my daughter’s boyfriend, well very soon to be fiancé eh?”

“Hopefully so” Richard replied with a grin.

“Can you help him out with a selection of rings? We need a beautiful ring for the most beautiful girl in the world,” Remington continued with a proud smile as Richard beamed at him and nodded in agreement.

Richard seemed a bit unsure which ring to choose so he asked Remington, “Any suggestions?”

“Hmm.. something simple but elegant I think would suit Liv best don’t you think?” Remington replied as Richard nodded. “How about that one?”

Marcus handed the ring Remington had indicated to him. Remington held it up to the light to inspect the diamond. “Hmm..eighteen carat, marquise cut..flawless,” he rattled off as Richard looked both surprised and impressed. “Wow you really know your diamonds,” he remarked with admiration as Remington flashed him a grin. “Oh just an old hobby of mine,” he quipped as he handed the ring to Richard to look at. “It’s beautiful,” Richard stated as Remington agreed, “Indeed it is.”

“Do you think Liv would like it?” Richard asked as Remington replied with a warm smile, “If it’s coming from you I think she’ll love it.”

Richard smiled gratefully at him then said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure – go ahead,” Remington encouraged the younger man.

“How did you propose to Mrs Steele.. I mean Laura?”

A smile crossed Remington’s face at the irony of Richard’s question, given that he was planning to do that very thing for a second time in the not too distant future. “Well the first time I did it properly..,” he went to reply then in response to Richard’s quizzical look, explained, “It’s a long story which I will tell you one day, but not today. As I was saying, when I proposed properly to Laura, we were walking around a lake on a property I inherited in Ireland. I stopped her for a moment and then I got a bit lost for words – I guess I’m more a man of action. But I pulled myself together and told her how I felt about her and then I dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me.”

He was overtaken by memories of that day for a moment but then broke himself out of his reverie to say,” But you need to make it your own mate – something special just for you and Olivia. I wouldn’t go with anything too over the top though - you know as well as I do I’m sure, that she’s a down to earth kind of girl. Something simple but romantic would be the way to go I’d say.”

Richard nodded and thanked him then said to Marcus with a smile,” I’ll take it.”

“Excellent choice,” Marcus agreed as he made the necessary arrangements with Richard.

Remington then decided to take his leave saying, “Well I must dash as I’m meeting an old friend for lunch – Marcus I’ll be around later about my..watch,” as he gave the jeweller a knowing look. “Of course Mr Steele – I’ll have it ready for you by the time you come back in,” Marcus replied with something of a conspiratorial smile. Before he left, Remington turned to Richard and patting him on the back said, “Good luck with the proposal Richard – I’m sure you’ll make it very special for her,” thinking to himself as he did so, now I need to come up with something very special of my own to propose to her mother for the second time.


	19. Chapter 19

A little while later, Remington arrived at the downtown café where he was meeting Jackie for lunch. They greeted each other with a warm hug. “How are you mate?” Remington asked the younger man as he sat down opposite him. “Can’t complain,” Jackie replied with the same grin he’d had when he had first encountered Remington and Laura years ago, when he was a sixteen year old pickpocket on the streets of LA. 

“How are the kids?” Remington inquired with a proud smile. He was so glad that he had been able to help Jackie turn his life around before he headed further down the path of a life of crime. Having someone believe in him had made all the difference, and after doing his stint at a juvenile camp Jackie had taken his ‘street smarts’ and applied them to his studies, resulting in him earning a scholarship to study law. Once he’d graduated, he started working for Legal Aid in an attempt to ‘pay it forward’ and help the less fortunate, just as he had once been. Along the way he had fallen in love and married and had two children, and he knew the happiness and fulfilment he had found in his life would not have been possible without the man sitting opposite him. 

“They’re good thanks. Jackie Jnr is in his freshman year in college, studying business and Emma is in her junior year in high school,” Jackie replied proudly then asked Remington, “How about you? How’s Olivia going?”.

“She’s well thanks – she’s a successful artist. She just turned thirty actually and she should be getting engaged very soon. I’ve just been helping her boyfriend choose an engagement ring actually,” Remington replied with a grin as Jackie laughed, “Well he came to the right man when it comes to jewels hey?”, knowing of Mr Steele’s past. Remington nodded with a chuckle of his own, “Indeed he did.”

“So.. have you seen Laura lately?” Jackie broached the subject of Mr Steele’s ex-wife. A twinkle lit up Remington’s eyes as he replied, “Ah..yes I have actually.”

Recognising the twinkle in the older man’s eyes, Jackie grinned and leant forward and demanded with a laugh, “Come on spill the beans old man. Are you two getting back together?”

Remington couldn’t hide the happy smile that spread across his face. “Yes we are Jackie. And who are you calling old man?” Remington replied with a chuckle.

“Oh that’s great news. About time you two saw sense,” Jackie stated matter-of-factly then added with a wink, “So, is she still a babe? I have to admit I kinda had a crush on her when I was a kid.”

Remington raised a cheeky eyebrow in response. “To answer your question Jackie – yes she is, very much so. And I did suspect that my young friend – I mean, who could blame you?”

“So does that mean you’re moving back to LA permanently?” Jackie asked hopefully. 

“That’s the plan mate. And that’s where you come in.”

“Me?” Jackie asked curiously.

“Yes – as I said on the phone, I need your help. My late father left me quite a sizeable inheritance which I used to set up a charitable foundation for underprivileged kids in London.”

“That’s great,” Jackie enthused then asked, “But where do I fit into the picture?”

“Well since I’m planning on moving back to Los Angeles I was thinking of doing the same thing here and I’d like you to help me run it. That is if you’re interested,” Remington posed the question as a smile lit up Jackie’s face.

“I’d love to – and that would fit in perfectly with my work at Legal Aid. There’s so many kids we could help here in LA,” Jackie enthused as Remington smiled. “There certainly are - I recall one cheeky young fellow in particular.”

Jackie grinned and nodded. “Well it takes one to know one Mr Steele,” he retorted as Remington returned the grin and clinked his glass with the younger man’s saying, “Touche.” 

They continued catching up and discussing plans for the Foundation over lunch and when they had finished they gave each other a hug and bade each other a fond farewell. As he went to check the time on his watch before he headed back to work Jackie realised his watch was missing, just as Remington went to pull out his cell phone to call Laura and realised it was missing as well. Rueful grins crossed the two men’s faces as they turned around to face each other, Remington holding Jackie’s watch in his hand and Jackie holding Remington’s phone, the two of them having lifted them from the other during their hug.

“Haven’t lost your touch old man,” Jackie laughed as he handed Remington back his phone. Remington replied with a laugh of his own as he gave Jackie back his watch, “Nor you little master,” using the nickname he had first called Jackie many years ago when he’d first observed his pickpocketing skills.

With matching grins they went their separate ways, promising to be in touch soon to further discuss Remington’s plans for the Foundation, both chuckling to themselves about the kindred spirits they were and how lucky they both felt that they had been able to turn their lives around, thanks to people who cared about them showing them they had other choices.  
*******************************

Later that afternoon, with the newly purchased engagement ring tucked safely away in his pocket, Richard ducked out of work early and headed over to Olivia’s studio. “Hi,” she greeted him with a surprised yet happy smile as she pulled open the door after hearing the buzzer, to find him standing there. “Hi yourself beautiful,“ he replied with a grin as he came inside. 

“You’re off work early,” Olivia remarked as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Yes I guess I am. I thought we could go for a drive – anywhere you like. In fact, if you could choose your favorite place to go, within driving distance that is, where would it be?” Richard asked with a smile.

“Hmm – I think I know just the place. Just let me clean up a bit and we can get going,” Olivia replied with a smile of her own, wondering a little to herself what had got into him but nevertheless looking forward to a nice drive after a busy day working on her latest piece. 

Once she’d freshened up a bit they headed downstairs to Richard’s car. “So where are we off to Liv?” he asked as he started the engine. Olivia turned to him with a twinkle in her blue eyes, thinking of the place where some of her happiest memories as a child had taken place and replied, “Malibu.”

The sun was just starting to set as they pulled up into the beachfront car park. Trying to settle his nerves a bit, Richard took Olivia’s hand in his as they walked down to the sand and began walking along the shore. 

They were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying the view and each other’s company, then as he saw Olivia’s gaze drift towards the houses that lined the beach he asked, “Which one was yours?”

A wistful look crossed her face as she pointed to a house they were almost right in front of. “That one there,” she replied as a host of memories came back to her – a lot happy but some not so happy as she tried to push the latter out of her head. “It’s a beautiful house,” Richard commented as she nodded, with a small sigh, “Yes it is.” 

As they stopped for a moment, they noticed a young couple with a little boy come out onto the back deck of the house as a smile crossed Olivia’s face. “I’m glad another family is living there – it’s a good family home,” she stated then added a little ruefully,” Well it was for a while anyway.”

Richard put a comforting arm around her as they continued walking along. “Well it seems like your folks have finally patched things up which is good,” he commented. He almost mentioned that he’d bumped into her father earlier that day but stopped himself before he revealed that he had bumped into him at a jeweller’s. 

“Yes it is,” she agreed with a smile then confessed, “It’s funny – I’ve dreamt of that happening for so long that I almost don’t dare to believe it’s true.”

“That’s understandable but they seem pretty happy and serious about getting back together,” Richard reassured her. Olivia nodded in agreement. “That’s true – I haven’t seen either of them so happy in I don’t know how long.”

As they walked along she reminisced with a smile, “I used to love going for walks along the beach with them when I was little. I would run ahead, collecting shells or chasing seagulls or whatever, and when I looked back at Mom & Dad I’d see them walking along hand in hand, or with their arms around each other, laughing & chatting and watching me.”

“Well it looks like they’ve realised how much they mean to each other and that they can’t live without each other,” Richard stated sincerely as he looked at her, his words also pertaining to them. As he put a hand in his pocket he felt the reassuring weight of the ring, and noticing the setting sun about to kiss the ocean he knew the moment was right. 

He then stopped and knelt down in the sand, making out like he was tying his shoelace as he spied a shell and unseen by Olivia, slipped the ring inside it. “What are you doing?” Olivia asked with a laugh, wondering why he’d suddenly stopped walking. He swallowed the lump in his throat, then looking up at her with a broad smile on his face and his hazel eyes shining with love for her he handed her the shell.  
“I think I found another one for your collection,” he stated as he handed her the shell and as she smiled and held it up to inspect it she caught the glint of something inside it then tipped the ring out onto her hand.

It took a moment for it to sink in as she looked at the stunning gold ring with a solitaire diamond set into it. “What..? What is this?” she asked in stunned surprise as happy tears sprung to her eyes and a dimpled smile spread across her face.

“It’s an engagement ring Liv,” Richard replied with a broad smile of his own, then he cleared his throat and asked, “Liv, I’ve loved you I think from the first moment I laid eyes on you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you – so Olivia Danielle Steele, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

Olivia stood silent for a moment, absolutely overwhelmed as Richard waited for her response with baited breath. “Yes,” she answered, as her tears streamed down her face, “Yes Richard of course I will,” as she pulled him up to her and flung herself into his arms. “You will?” he asked, beaming from ear to ear as she nodded, saying, “I love you too Richard and I want to spend the rest of my life with you too,” then they shared a tender kiss full of love and promise. 

After they finally drew apart Richard placed the ring on the ring finger of her left hand. “It’s beautiful Richard – it’s just perfect,” Oliva admired the ring as she looked at it on her finger. “I’m glad you like it Liv. I must admit I had a little help choosing it,” Richard stated with a smile. 

“Really? From who?” Olivia asked curiously. “Your Dad actually,” Richard replied as Olivia looked at him with surprise. In response to her look he explained, “I bumped into him at the jeweler’s this morning. He was there getting his watch fixed.”

Olivia found that bit of information rather interesting, and knowing her father as she did, she couldn’t help wondering if he had actually been there for another reason, and if perhaps Richard’s proposal to her wouldn’t be the only one made that week.. 

************************************


	20. Chapter 20

After having dinner at a beachside restaurant to celebrate their engagement Olivia and Richard hopped back in the car to head home. “I guess we should let our respective parents know we’re engaged,” Richard stated as he started up the car. Olivia nodded then said, “How about we drop into my Mom’s place on the way home? Dad texted me earlier to say he was going over there for dinner tonight so we can tell them at the same time.”

“Sounds like a plan – then maybe we can ring and tell my folks in Chicago after,” Richard replied then he added with a grin, “Ah do you think you should ring your Mom and tell her we’re popping in? I mean from what you’ve told me about those two we don’t want to walk in when they’re.. well you know.”

“Good idea,” Olivia agreed with a wry grin. “Walking in on them kissing the other day was bad enough and then when I went home this morning Mum was walking around in Dad’s shirt and not much else,” Oliva laughed as she pulled her phone out as Richard started driving.

“Hi Mom it’s Liv. How was your day? Yes mine was good too thanks – very good in fact,” Olivia said as she smiled at Richard.” Is Dad there with you? Oh you’re having dinner.. that’s good. Ah..Richard and I are just up at Malibu and we thought we’d drop in for a little while if that’s okay? Great - okay we’ll see you soon. Bye Mom – love you too.”  
***********************************************  
“That was Liv,” Laura informed Remington in response to the eyebrow he’d arched in curiosity when she’d got up from the dining table to answer her phone. “She and Richard are going to pop in on their way back from Malibu,” she added with a hopeful smile.

“Do you think they might have something to tell us? Like he finally proposed?” Remington asked with a grin. 

“Maybe so,” Laura replied with a twinkle in her brown eyes, hoping that was the case. 

As he looked at her, Remington’s mind was working overtime, trying to think of the perfect way himself to propose to her for the second time. He wanted to make it special and memorable and the fact that he was feeling quite nervous about the prospect didn’t make matters any easier. He wasn’t sure why he was so anxious about it, after all it wasn’t the first time he had proposed to her. And maybe that was the very point – there was a part of him that wondered if he was rushing things but then another part of him felt that he didn’t want to waste any more time, after all he’d wasted the last eighteen years without her by his side. And he wanted to make a fresh start to their new life together, so it was important that they started it off in the right way. They hadn’t actually discussed getting remarried though and he hoped Laura wouldn’t feel like he was trying to pressure her. All he knew was that now they had been given this second chance at love he wanted to hold onto it with all his might and he wanted to prove to Laura how committed he was to making it work this time. 

Before too long Olivia and Richard arrived, both of them beaming from ear to ear, unable to hide their happiness. Laura greeted them both with a peck on the cheek as she showed them in. Remington greeted his daughter with a hug and shook Richard’s hand. The young couple then sat down opposite Laura and Remington in the living room. Olivia turned to her parents and said, “Actually Mom, Dad, Richard and I have some news.” Guessing what was coming but not wanting to let on that they knew, both Laura and Remington played it cool, Remington asking, “Really princess – what’s that?” as he flashed a small smile at Richard.

“Well..,” Olivia started as she looked to her fiancé for support, who smiled reassuringly at her. “Richard and I are engaged – he asked me to marry him tonight!” she exclaimed, her dimpled smile lighting up her face as her parents jumped up excitedly and gave them both congratulatory hugs.

“I’m so happy for you both,” Laura enthused then added, “Oh let me look at the ring! It’s beautiful Liv!”.

“Isn’t it Mom!” Olivia replied happily as Remington surreptiously winked at Richard who grinned back at him. 

“Well come on give your old man a look then,” Remington said with a chuckle as he cast an appreciative eye over it. “Hmm very nice – couldn’t have chosen better myself,” he quipped with a cheeky lopsided grin as Richard tried to stifle a laugh. 

“Oh we’ve got so much to plan Liv,” Laura went on, going into ‘organiser mode’ as Olivia laughed and shared an amused look with her father. “Relax Mom we’ve got plenty of time – we haven’t even thought about a wedding date yet” she replied as she hugged her mother.

“Well this wonderful news calls for a celebration - I think I’ve got some champagne in the kitchen actually” Laura then announced as she motioned for Olivia to follow her.  
When they were alone in the kitchen Laura turned to her and Remington’s daughter and said with a smile, “I’m so happy for you sweetheart. Are you happy?”

Olivia nodded, her dimpled smile mirroring her mother’s. “Yes Mom – I’m very happy,” she confirmed as Laura hugged her again. 

Olivia then looked at her mother and asked, “And how about you Mom? Are you happy now Dad’s back in your life?”

Laura nodded with a smile. “Yes..yes I am Liv,” she stated, knowing in her heart that it was true -she hadn’t felt this happy in years.

“I’m glad Mom. You and Daddy make such a good combination you know,” Olivia replied warmly. 

“I know that Liv – after all I’m looking at the proof of that,” Laura replied affectionately as she gave her a peck on the cheek. She then grabbed the champagne and got some glasses out so they could all have a toast.

While they were in the kitchen Remington remarked to Richard,”So it all went to plan then eh?” as the younger man nodded happily. 

“It sure did – I took your advice and just kept it simple but romantic and she made me the happiest man in the world by saying yes,” Richard replied with a broad smile. 

“Good to hear,” Remington replied with an encouraging smile of his own then added wisely, “Well mate you’ve got your whole lives ahead of you to share – take it from me, don’t waste a minute of it.” 

Richard nodded and thanked him then Laura and Oliva came back into the room with the champagne. Once they’d popped the cork they filled their glasses then Remington made a toast. “Congratulations you two – we wish you all the very best now and always. And may your hearts be ever joined as one,” he stated as he suddenly found himself getting a bit emotional at the thought of his little girl getting engaged, as well as all the lonely years he had spent separated from her mother. He hurriedly wiped a tear away, hoping no-one would notice, but knowing him as she did Laura noticed. She took one of his hands in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze saying, “That was beautiful Rem,” as he gave her a grateful smile.

The four of them chatted for a while then Oliva and Richard took their leave, leaving Remington and Laura to their own devices. They sat down on the lounge together and filled their glasses with the rest of the champagne. “Here’s to us and our beautiful daughter that we created and raised,” Remington said sincerely as he clinked his glass with Laura. 

“We did okay with her don’t you think? Sure we made some mistakes along the way as all parents do, but she’s turned out pretty well,” Laura said with a smile as she leant her head on Remington’s shoulder and he nodded. “Yes indeed she has – she’s talented, beautiful, and has the most generous heart, just like her mother,” he replied with a smile as he put an arm around Laura. 

“Oh I can’t take all the credit – she always sticks up for the underdog just like you and she has your sense of humour – not to mention your gorgeous eyes,” Laura stated. Remington smiled then said with a sigh, “I just can’t believe she’s all grown up and engaged to be married.”

“Me neither,” Laura replied. “Where have those years gone?”

Remington shook his head with a rueful grin, “In the blink of an eye my love – that’s why I’m not wasting another precious day,” as he kissed her tenderly at first then with more passion as Laura responded to him in kind, both of them determined to make up for all the time they had lost together…

**************************************************

A few days later Remington swung by the office late in the afternoon to take Laura out for dinner. Laura noticed he seemed a bit distracted during dinner, almost nervous, which piqued her curiosity and she had to admit she was feeling a little bit the same way. She’d been mulling an idea over in her head for the past few days and was just waiting for the right moment to bring it up. After they finished dessert and paid the bill Remington suggested they go for a drive in the Auburn. It was a lovely warm night so Laura readily agreed, also hoping it would give them the chance to have a chat.

Remington drove up through the hills until he reached a lookout which brought back memories for both of them. “Los Amantes lookout Mr Steele?” Laura asked with a cheeky dimpled grin. “Well.. hopefully no-one will start shooting at us this time eh?” Remington replied with a lopsided grin of his own as Laura laughed, “Let’s hope.”

They were both silent for a few moments enjoying the view and having the other by their side, where they both knew they belonged. “It really is beautiful isn’t it?” Laura remarked as she looked at the view of the lights of Los Angeles laid out before them. “Yes it is,” Remington agreed, his voice a hushed whisper but he was looking at Laura rather than the view as he tenderly brushed back a strand of hair behind her ear. Laura took his hand in hers and gave it an affectionate squeeze then deciding there was no time like the present she decided to say what she’d been longing to for quite some time.

Meanwhile Remington was having similar thoughts. “It’s now or never sport,” he thought to himself as he steeled his nerves then went to speak.

“Rem..”

“Laura..”

They both spoke at the same time which elicited a laugh from both of them. Ever the gentleman, Remington said, ”Ladies first,’ as he waited to hear what she had to say.

Laura smiled and hesitated for a moment, momentarily focusing her gaze on her lap and then she looked up at him, the love she had for him shining in her eyes. The tentative expression on her face reminded him of a moment long ago in their past, not that long after he’d first entered her life. They’d gone away for the weekend on a case to a secluded island aptly called The Devil’s Playground. He had jumped at the chance to get away, just the two of them, in the hopes of ‘advancing their relationship’ further. He’d made sure they were booked into the same room in the hopes of spurring things on a bit. Back then he was still trying to convince himself that his interest in her was purely physical – he was sure the sparks they struck off each other when they argued would carry over to the bedroom and he was keen to test his theory. 

But he knew deep down, even though he didn’t want to admit it, that it was more than that – he felt something for her that he’d never felt for a woman before. And during a conversation they’d had during their time there, he had attempted to open up to her a bit about his past. Appreciating his honesty, Laura had opened up to him a bit as well, telling him that if they were to ‘cross that line’ that she hoped it would mean more than a moment and that it would last longer than just a weekend in the Devil’s Playground. It was then he realised two things – that she was looking for a commitment and that, to his surprise, he found himself thinking that maybe with her that wouldn’t be so bad, even though he’d spent the better part of his life avoiding such things like the plague.

He could still remember how alluring she had looked that night, dressed in an electric blue nightgown that had taken his breath away, and how she had pulled at his heart strings when she looked at him and confessed both her hopes and fears for their fledgling relationship. He had found her tentativeness and slight embarrassment as she brought up the topic of them sleeping together, absolutely beguiling. And it had also shown another side to her – a softer, vulnerable side that was so different to the confident, no-nonsense persona she adopted in her professional life.

And now here they were roughly thirty six years later, having been through so much together, sharing a grown child and a love that despite their divorce still remained. Wondering what she was going to say, Remington met Laura’s gaze with an expectant one of his own. 

She swallowed a little then began. “Rem these last couple of weeks with you and if I’m being honest the past eighteen years without you have made me realise some things.”

“Me too my love,” he agreed with a warm smile which she returned then continued. “I remember telling you once, not long after you’d come into my life that when I invented Remington Steele I gave him all the qualities I admired in a man – honesty, integrity, compassion, a desire to help others.”

“I remember it well,” Remington replied with a grin, realising she’d been thinking about the same conversation he had been. 

“Well when I invented him, I never dreamt that a man would come into my life, let alone adopt Remington’s Steele’s identity, who had all those qualities and more,” she continued as she lovingly caressed his cheek. Remington wiggled a mischievous eyebrow at her and quipped, “Careful Laura I might get a big head.”

“Shut up and let me finish will you,” she laughed softly as he mock saluted her and replied, “Yes mam.”

“As I was saying, I couldn’t ask for a better man than you Rem to share my life with and to be the father of my child. I was such a fool to let my fears and insecurities get in the way of that.”

“We were both fools,” he interjected gently as Laura nodded, “I guess so. Anyway I think we both agree we want a fresh start..”

“Indeed we do,” Remington replied with a loving smile, wondering where she was going with this.

At that Laura let out a breath and taking both of his hands in his she looked into his gorgeous blue eyes that were indelibly burnt into her heart and mind and said, “Rem..will you marry me again?”

Remington looked at her, absolutely stunned for a moment or two as she had beaten him to his proposal. His heart soared at her words, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt now that she felt the same way he did. When a chuckle escaped his lips Laura didn’t know whether to feel confused or angry. “What’s so funny?” she demanded. Remington’s smile lit up his face as he tenderly took her face in his hands then told her, “What’s so funny is how in sync we are Laura – you stole my thunder my love. I should have known my strong, independent woman would take matters into her own hands - I was planning to ask you the very same thing tonight.”

Now it was Laura’s turn to be stunned. “You were?” she asked as he nodded and with his voice choked with emotion he replied, “Yes I was. And to answer your question – yes Laura I will marry you again. In fact I can think of nothing else I want more.” He then brought his lips to hers and they shared a tender kiss full of love and promise. Once they’d drawn apart, both smiling from ear to ear, Remington fished around in his trouser pocket for the little velvet box he had in there but in his haste accidentally dropped it on the floor.

“Dammit,” he swore under his breath as he leant down and began feeling around on the floor for it. “Oh this takes me back,” Laura couldn’t help but laugh as he grunted when he had to lean down a little further to reach where it had fallen under the seat. “Let me know if you find anymore tape in the coils,” she added mischievously as his hand finally closed around the box and he pulled himself up to a sitting position. 

“No tape – but I did find this. I guess this will seal the deal eh?” Remington stated with a dazzling grin as he flipped open the box to reveal an exquisite, handcrafted engagement ring featuring a heart shaped diamond in the centre surrounded by emeralds. Laura gasped with surprised delight, “Rem..that is absolutely gorgeous!”.

“I’m glad you like it. The diamond represents my heart which I’m giving to you again – well to be truthful you’ve always had it my love, and the emeralds are a nod to my homeland, the place where we first sealed our love. And the green also signifies new life – our new life Laura,” Remington stated sincerely as Laura fought back her tears of joy. With that he slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand then raising her hand to his, kissed it. “Now it’s my turn – Laura, will you marry me again?” he asked as her dimpled smile warmed his heart and she nodded. “Yes..yes I will Rem,” she replied as her lips found his again. 

They had been kissing for a while when Laura murmured against Remington’s lips, “No one’s shooting at us yet,”. He grinned in reply, “Well that make a welcome change.” 

“Yes it does doesn’t it,” Laura stated, a mischievous gleam in her brown eyes as she ran a hand over his chest. “You know we never did ‘trip the light fantastic’ as you like to call it, in here,” she added as she flashed him a meaningful look. Remington’s grin got a bit wider as he agreed, “No we didn’t did we,” as he pulled her even closer to him, then added with a somewhat rueful, but hopeful look, “Do you think two sixty somethings are capable of doing so in here?”

At that, a sultry smile crossed Laura’s face and she replied, just as she had done the first time they had parked there, “Where there’s a will..”

“There’s a way,” Remington finished for her as he cocked a devillish eyebrow at her and ran a hand through her hair.

Laura nodded as she burrowed her head in his neck, finding that sensitive spot just below his ear that just about reduced him to jelly, “I’m sure we’ll make do,” she whispered as a low, throaty chuckle escaped his lips. “Oh I’m sure we will – after all, I’m a man who enjoys impossible challenges,” he quipped as he laid her back on the seat, covering her body with his and they were soon lost in each other, celebrating their renewed commitment to each other in the best way they knew how…


	21. Chapter 21

After finally ‘tripping the light fantastic’ in the Auburn, Remington and Laura took a minute or two to get their breath back, both quite amazed that they had waited so long to do so and also that they had managed to manouever themselves sufficiently in the rather cramped space in the Auburn to achieve that feat, especially given the fact that neither of them were as young as they used to be. As if reading each other’s minds they both had a chuckle then Remington murmured with a grin, “As much as I’d love to stay in this position Laura the gear stick is poking into my leg,” as Laura couldn’t help but giggle. He was reluctantly easing himself back into a sitting position as Laura did the same, the two of them readjusting their clothing, when a LAPD squad car pulled up behind them, it’s lights flashing.

The officer driving the squad car had been having a rather quiet night on his shift and he was somewhat surprised when he spied the classic car parked up at the well known ‘make out spot’ of Los Amantes lookout. “Great..all I get to do tonight is bust some kids making out,” the officer grumbled to himself a little as he got out of the car and walked up to the Auburn, wondering why a teenage couple would be in a classic car like that.

He came up alongside the car and without really looking closely at the car’s occupants he stated “And what exactly is going on here? Decided to take Grandpa’s car for a drive hey? Licence and registration please.”

Remington and Laura couldn’t help exchanging amused grins, both of them trying not to laugh. “Ah of course officer but I can assure you the car is mine,” Remington replied as he flashed a lopsided grin at the police officer and pulled out his wallet to get his licence out.

Surprised when he heard an older man’s rather than a teenage boy’s voice, the police offer shone his torch into the car to find to his surprise, a couple who looked around his parents’ age sitting there, rather than a couple of adolescents as he’d been expecting.

“What on earth..?!” he exclaimed in shock as sheepish grins crossed both Remington and Laura’s faces. 

“We can explain Officer..,” Laura stated with a dimpled smile, “You see we just got engaged again and well I guess we got a little carried away celebrating.”

“You see it’s our second time around and this car holds a lot of memories for us Officer…,” Remington put in as he peered at the young policeman’s name badge, then looked at him with some recognition at his name and the head of blonde curls he had. “Jarvis? Your father’s name wouldn’t happen to be Jimmy would it?” he asked with a grin as the officer looked at him curiously and replied. “Yes it is – well he goes by Jim now. Do you know him?”

“Yes we do. We’ve worked with him in the past – we’re private detectives. Well I still am – Remington retired from the game some years ago,” Laura explained as she shared a look with her ex-husband. 

“Wait – you’re Remington Steele?” the officer asked as he looked at the man sitting in the car. “Certainly am – have been for quite some time,” Remington quipped as he winked at Laura. “See it says it right there on my licence,” he added as he handed it to the policeman. 

“Wow – I don’t believe this. My dad still talks about the cases he worked on with Remington Steele,” the officer stated with a grin. “So you must be Laura Holt right?” he asked the car’s female occupant.

Laura nodded in confirmation then asked with a smile, “How is your dad?”

“He’s good – he’s a captain now. He keeps saying he’s gonna retire but he still hasn’t yet. I decided to follow him into the force. I’m Matt by the way,” the officer introduced himself, then he added with a grin that was reminiscent of his father’s, “Dad’s not going to believe this when I tell him.”

At that both Remington and Laura looked slightly uncomfortable as Laura tried to smooth back her mussed hair and Remington tried to surreptiously tuck in his shirt. “Well ah.. we’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him all the details eh?” Remington stated as he gave Detective Jarvis’s son a meaningful look.

“Yes Matt, can I call you Matt? We wouldn’t normally ask a police officer to bend the rules,” Laura stated with a hopeful smile as Remington tried to stifle a grin, then she went on, “but I hope you can cut us some slack and not book us. We did have the place to ourselves after all.”

Matt Jarvis grinned at the couple and as he looked at the car’s rather cramped interior he remarked with a chuckle, “Instead of booking you I think I should give you an award for even attempting to make out in that car – it’s hardly what you’d call spacious. And well seeing as it is the occasion of your engagement and there’s no-one else around, I guess I can make an exception this time.”

Remington and Laura both breathed sighs of relief, neither of them wanting to have to fess up to their daughter that they’d been booked for having sex in the Auburn. “Thankyou my good man,” Remington replied with a grin as he shook his hand gratefully. Matt handed him back his licence then said with a slightly awkward look on his face as he tried not to grin, “Ah.. you might want to fix yourself up there Mr Steele,” as he nodded towards the zipper on Remington’s trousers which was still undone. Laura couldn’t help laughing at the somewhat perturbed look on Remington’s face as he quickly fixed the situation, muttering a thankyou to the young policeman as he did so.

“Well you two ‘kids’ behave yourselves now you hear?” Matt stated with a grin as the two of them nodded like two busted teenagers. “We’ll try,” Laura replied with a mischievous twinkle in her brown eyes. “But we can’t make any promises,” Remington added with a cheeky wiggle of his eyebrows as Matt shook his head at them and smiled.

“Say hi to your Dad from us,” Laura added as Remington nodded in agreement. “I will. Oh and congratulations on your engagement,” Matt replied as they thanked him then he bade them good night and headed back to his patrol car, chuckling to himself as he did so.

As soon as he was gone both Remington and Laura cracked up laughing. “Well maybe no-one was shooting at us this time but I still say we dodged a bullet there,” Remington chuckled as Laura agreed, “I’ll say,” as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

“Only we could get busted by Jimmy Jarvis’s son – I mean what are the odds eh?” Remington stated, holding his ribs as he was laughing so much. “Well I guess it was lucky we did,” Laura replied with a rueful grin. “Well even if we had got arrested it would have been worth it,” Remington stated as he gently brushed her lips with a kiss. “I couldn’t agree more Mr Steele,” Laura said as she kissed him back then reluctantly drew away, “But I guess we should head home.”

“Yes I guess we should,” he agreed with a smile, thinking to himself what a nice ring the word ‘home’ had to it as he started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. As if reading his mind Laura then said, “Speaking of which - I guess given the fact we’re now engaged, it makes sense for you to stay at my place now rather than Liv’s.”

“Indeed it does,” Remington agreed with a smile. “I’m sure the other engaged couple in our family would probably appreciate their privacy too.”

“Yes I imagine they would, “Laura stated then added,”I know we just got engaged again Rem but I guess we do need to think about things going forward.”

Remington nodded then flashed her a grin, “Well a wedding date for starters. I will need to go back to London shortly to sort out my affairs but I don’t want to waste any more time not being with you Laura, so how does a second honeymoon in Europe sound?” 

“That sounds wonderful Rem,” Laura’s delight lit up her face.

“Good - it’s settled then. Let’s have the wedding as soon as possible and then we can start our new life together my love,” Remington said as he covered one of her hands with his own and squeezed it affectionately.

“I can’t wait to be your wife again,” Laura confessed, her expression full of love and devotion for him. 

“And I can’t wait to be your husband again. Out of all the roles I’ve played in my life Laura, that was always my favourite. That and father to our darling girl. You and Olivia are what bring meaning to my life,” Remington responded sincerely, his expression mirroring Laura’s. 

“And you to ours,” Laura assured him as she leant her head on his shoulder as they drove along, looking forward to what their future together would hold..


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning the newly engaged couple woke in Laura’s bed wrapped in each other’s arms. Remington yawned and stretched as a lopsided grin spread across his face. “I think I need to start taking more vitamins Laura,” he quipped with a wink, as they had had a rather ‘active’ night, both in the Auburn and later on when they’d got back to Laura’s place. Laura leant on his chest and traced a finger along his cheek. “Too much for you Mr Steele?” she teased with a cheeky dimpled smile. “Never,” he replied with a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes as he flipped them over, “but I must admit I’ve had more action in the past couple of weeks than I’ve had in the past couple of years.”

Laura nodded in agreement then a slightly more serious look crossed her face. In response to Remington’s questioning raised eyebrow she asked, “Were you ..with many women while we were apart?”

“What does that matter now luv?” Remington asked with a hint of concern as he lay back down next to her and put an arm around her.

“Well it doesn’t really.. I was just.. curious I guess,” Laura confessed a little sheepishly, wondering to herself if she really wanted to know or not. Remington sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “There were a few – nothing serious though. They were just a distraction to try and forget you,” he admitted. “But none of them came close,” he added as he planted a kiss on her head and pulled her even closer to him.

“So did Felicia try and worm her way back into your life once she heard you were single again?” Laura asked as a wry expression crossed Remington’s face and he nodded. “Oh she did try – turned up on my doorstep one day.”

“What – she didn’t climb through your window this time?” Laura asked with a smile, remembering her first encounter with Felicia. “No,” Remington chuckled. “But I gave her short shrift and made it clear to her that even though you may not have been in my life at the time, you were still very much in my heart,” he reassured her. “And when she found I had no intention of returning to my previous ‘profession’ let’s just say she decided to cut her losses and move on.”

Laura nodded, knowing it was important for them to address the ghosts from their past before they could truly move on to their future together. Remington was silent for a moment or two, the same question that Laura had asked him burning in his head. Part of him didn’t want to know – the thought of Laura, his Laura, in another man’s arms, let alone bed, drove him crazy. But he knew he had to know. “How about you Laura? Were you.. involved with many men over the past 18 years?”

Laura hesitated for a moment, knowing it must be hard for him to ask that, knowing the jealous streak he possessed. “A few,” she confessed, and as she noticed the telltale clench in his jaw she added with a gentle smile, “I’m not a nun Rem.”

Remington tried to act as if it didn’t bother him, “Oh yes of course I know that,” he replied hurriedly but Laura knew him better than that. She looked him in the eye then said, “And like you said, there was nothing serious. After you, none of them seemed to measure up.”

At that a Remington cocked a devillish eyebrow at her and quipped, “Bit on the small size were they eh?” as Laura grabbed a pillow and playfully hit him with it. “That’s not what I meant,” she laughed as did he. “But since we’re on the topic,” she added as she traced a finger down his chest, “No man has ever made me feel like you do Rem.”

The boyish grin that crossed his face warmed her heart and then he gently took her face in his. “And no woman has ever made me feel the way you do my love,” he confessed as he brought his lips to hers.

“Oh is that right Mr Steele?” Laura murmured against his lips as she did some eyebrow wiggling herself which elicited a laugh from her fiance’. “Very much so - from that very first moment you aroused my ‘curiosity’, I knew there was something very special about the delectable Miss Holt,” Remington breathed, running a hand through her hair. “Well you don’t know how hard it was for me to hold you off for all those years,” Laura confessed as she gave him a meaningful look. “Trust me I know how hard it was,” Remington quipped ruefully with a cheeky lopsided grin as they both laughed.

“Well that’s why I’m not wasting anymore time Rem – we’ve spent way too much time apart don’t you think?” Laura remarked as she rolled on top of him with a dimpled grin of her own. “I couldn’t agree more my love. And we certainly have some time to make up for eh?” he replied as he ran a hand up and down her back. “Oh indeed we do Rem,” Laura replied, her brown eyes shining with her love and desire for him, as they were soon lost in each other again, making up for lost time, the spark that had always existed between them still very much there..

Eventually they reluctantly realised they had to leave the lovely cocoon of Laura’s bed – she did have a detective agency to run after all. As they got dressed Remington couldn’t help pulling her into his arms. “I guess we should share our good news with the rest of the world eh?” he remarked as Laura nodded in agreement. “Yes we should – and I know exactly who we should tell first,” she said as she rested a hand on his chest. A smile crossed Remington’s face. “Excellent idea my love.”

*************************************

They surprised their daughter at the studio a short time later, Laura using her old loft key to open the door. Olivia looked up from her painting with a surprised smile when she saw both her parents walk in. “Mom, Dad – hi. I figured you must have been with Mom when you didn’t come back to the apartment last night Dad,” she greeted her parents as she gave them a knowing look and they greeted her in return.

“Well I figured you and your fiance’ might like some privacy,” Remington replied as he exchanged a cheeky glance with Laura.

“Oh right Dad – you’re sure it wasn’t you and Mom who wanted some privacy?” Olivia threw back at him with a laugh as he chuckled and planted a kiss on her head. “Clever girl – just like your mother,” he retorted with a grin.

Olivia then noticed he was rubbing his back a little. "Have you strained your back Dad?" she asked with some concern as he shot her and her mother a rueful grin, thinking back to his and Laura's 'activities' in the Auburn the night before. "Don't ask," he replied wryly with a mischievously raised eyebrow. Olivia shook her head at them and stated with a laugh, "Don't tell."

“So what do I owe the pleasure of having both of my parents here at the same time?” she then asked. “I must say I’m enjoying seeing the two of you together again so much.”

“So are we sweetheart,” Laura replied with a smile as she gave Remington a somewhat questioning look. He subtly nodded in reply then she continued. “Actually Liv we have something to tell you – we’re thinking of making that permanent again.”

They both looked at Olivia waiting for her reaction to her mother’s announcement. Olivia looked at them both for a moment and then her mother’s meaning dawned on her. “You’re…you’re getting married again?” she asked slowly, her voice a choked whisper. She could hardly believe her ears, that one of her most fervent wishes was coming true.

Both Remington and Laura nodded with broad smiles that they couldn’t contain spreading across their faces. “Your mother beat me to it and proposed last night,” Remington announced with a grin. “To which I said yes of course and then I proposed to her and gave her this,” he added as he lifted up Laura’s left hand and kissed it. Olivia then spied the exquisite engagement ring on her mother’s ring finger. “Oh it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed and then with tears of happiness in her eyes hugged them both. “I can’t believe it! That’s wonderful news - oh I’m so happy for you both! You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of this day!”

“Oh I think we do sweetheart,” Laura replied with a warm smile as Remington nodded.

Once Olivia had managed to collect herself she commented with a grin, “And as Dad would say, it’s about bloody time!”, doing an uncannily accurate impersonation of her father, as her parents both laughed. “Couldn’t have said it better myself princess,” Remington replied with a grin of his own.

“So..are we having a double wedding then?” Olivia then asked with an expectant smile. Laura shook her head. “No I think we’ll leave the big white wedding to you and Richard, Liv – we’ve been there, done that,” she replied with a wry smile as Remington nodded. “And we’ve done the ridiculously understated on a fishing trawler,” he added drolly, “So I think something in between might be the way to go don’t you think my love?”

Laura nodded. “That sounds good to me. Plus we don’t won’t to steal your thunder sweetheart. We just want something small but special with our nearest and dearest so we can get on with the rest of our lives together,” she replied as she put an arm around Remington and they shared a loving glance, the two of them looking forward to starting a new chapter in their life together and watching their beloved daughter also embark on the next chapter of her life..


	23. Chapter 23

A month or so later..

With a few days to go till their upcoming wedding, after a busy day finalizing last minute plans then winding down with dinner and a movie and finally making love, Remington and Laura fell asleep in each other’s arms. Laura’s sleep however was disturbed by a dream that seemed far too real for her liking…

She was with Remington in her office at the agency except it seemed to be his office again and as she looked at him he seemed younger – around eighteen years younger. And from the look on his face he wasn’t very happy with her. And then she remembered the scene before her – it was the day they had decided to get divorced.

“Oh that’s just great Laura – you can’t even take one day off so we can spend some time together to try and save our marriage!” he threw at her angrily. 

Unlike how she had responded originally back then she now paused, seeing the hurt in his face that tore her heart in two. “Rem I’m sorry I..” she went to apologise but he cut her off.

“Oh save it Laura I’ve heard it all before,” he said dismissively. “The excuses, all the reasons why you keep pushing me away,” his steeley blue eyed gaze boring into her.

“That’s just it Rem – I don’t want to push you away. I want us to be together.. please you’ve got to listen to me..” she pleaded as she could feel tears stinging her eyes. 

“No - how about you listen to me for a change?!” he snapped. “Pushing me away is all you’ve ever done - I thought getting married would change that but it hasn’t. There’s always some reason – my past or I don’t have a real name or you need to protect the future of the agency or whatever the hell the latest one is. Let’s face it Laura – you never really loved me,” he threw at her.

Laura felt like she’d been slapped. “What do you mean? Of course I love you Rem!” she argued, trying to convince him.

“Oh you love the idea of me – I mean I serve a purpose don’t I? A face for your precious agency. But even after all these years you’re still shutting me out,” Remington stated bitterly.

“No Rem I’m not. I was wrong – I know that now. We were both wrong – but we can make this work, I know we can,” Laura begged him, her tears freely falling by this point. 

Remington focused his gaze on the ground and shook his head. When he looked back up at Laura there were tears in his eyes as well. “It’s too late Laura,” he stated, his voice choked with emotion as she felt her stomach twist into knots. “You don’t mean that Rem,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper, her heart feeling like it was breaking in two all over again.

“Look what we’re doing to each other Laura,” he sighed. “And to our daughter. I don’t want to do that anymore,” he added, his voice filled with such sadness that Laura couldn’t bear to look at him.

The dream then changed – she was at their former home in Malibu with Olivia, except Olivia wasn’t a 30 year old grown woman, instead she was a 12 year old girl again. A girl who was distraught at the thought of her beloved father moving halfway across the world. “Why does Daddy have to move back to London? Can’t you just tell him you’re sorry so we can be a family again??” Olivia demanded through her tears, her blue eyes boring into Laura just like her father’s had done in the previous part of her dream. 

Laura rubbed her forehead in consternation. “Sweetheart it’s not as simple as that.. your father and I made a mutual decision that this was for the best..,” she tried to explain. 

“Well no-one asked me what I think! I don’t think it’s for the best!!” Olivia yelled at her. Laura went to give her a comforting hug, “Liv I’m sorry, I know this is hard for you – it’s hard for all of us..” but Olivia snapped back , “Leave me alone!” as she pulled free of her and ran upstairs..

The scene then changed again – now Laura was the young girl, around four years older than Olivia had been in the part of the dream she’d just had. And she was yelling at her mother just as Olivia had been yelling at her. “It’s your fault he left!” she heard herself yell as her mother looked at her, a stricken look crossing her face. “Laura dear..you don’t mean that.. do you? He left all of us.. not just you,” Abigail replied. 

Laura however didn’t want to listen. “No.. he didn’t want to leave me, but you gave him no choice!” she threw at her mother, knowing her harsh words were hurting her, but the truth was too hard to take. That her beloved father, the man that she adored would just leave like that and abandon them.. abandon her.

Then thinking to herself, ‘Maybe it’s not too late – maybe if I can just catch him everything will be alright,’ she took off running out the door of her childhood home, her mother calling desperately after her.

But Laura didn’t listen – she ran like her life depended on it. She could see him – just up ahead, his tall frame visible in the distance. If she could just reach him – she could make him change his mind, make him come back to her. Just when she seemed to be getting closer though he would disappear around a corner and she would push herself to go faster , but the further she ran the slower she seemed to get. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, outside the candy store she used to visit as a child with her father she noticed, where he would buy her a box of Parlays from time to time, and always at Christmas. She looked at her reflection in the window and saw with surprise, not a teenage girl looking back at her, but a mature woman in her sixties, tears still streaming down her face though. 

She touched her hand to her face as her reflection did the same and then she remembered she had to keep running, she had to catch him. She took off again, feeling like she was wading in sand as she forced her legs to move, as the man in front of her started to fade from her sight again. “Rem.. please..come back! Don’t leave me!” she cried out in her dream, also saying the words out loud, so real her dream seemed.

Remington who lay next to her in the bed, looked at her with some concern. She had been sleeping fitfully for a little while, muttering to herself which had awoken him. It was obvious she was having a bad dream and he had wondered what she was dreaming about, debating with himself whether he should wake her or not. As she cried out he suddenly realised worriedly what she had been dreaming about. “Laura.. Laura my love..wake up, you’re having a bad dream,” he gently shook her awake as she opened her eyes which were wet with tears to look at him, trying to make sense of it all. 

“Rem.. you’re here.. you’re here. But you were leaving me – we were back at the agency the day we decided to get divorced .. and then Liv was so angry with me. And then I was sixteen again, arguing with my mother after my father left and I was trying to run after him but then it was you.. I was running after you but I couldn’t catch you,” she sobbed in her half awake state, her nightmare affecting her so much. 

“Shush it’s alright now luv – it was just a dream, just a bad dream,” Remington reassured her as he wrapped her protectively in his arms and held her close to him. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” he stated adamantly as he ran a hand tenderly through her hair while she clung to him. “That’s all in the past now. In a few days we are going to be married again and we will be together where we belong,” he added gently as he planted a kiss softly on her temple. Laura finally relaxed in his arms, his words and his comforting prescence calming and reassuring her, as she finally felt the last of her fears & insecurities melt away. 

“Now where did all that come from eh?’ Remington asked with concern once she’d calmed down a bit.  
“I.. I don’t know,” Laura confessed. “Old fears I guess,” she added with a sigh, as she shook her head, trying to dispel the horrible dream from her mind. “Well you have nothing to fear anymore my love. We’re together and that’s how it’s going to stay – nothing could take me away from you Laura,” he replied sincerely, his blue eyes shining with his love for her. Laura was silent for a moment then asked quietly, “Not even me?”

“Laura, Laura, Laura,” Remington sighed as a rueful smile crossed his face. “You are far too hard on yourself my dear. Now let me tell you something - you were not to blame for your father leaving. And we both gave up on our marriage the first time round, so the blame is as much mine as yours. But I do know this – you and I have been through a hell of a lot together, both personally and professionally, yet despite all that here we are, together, where we’re meant to be. So instead of worrying about the past, which we can’t change at any rate, let’s just focus on here and now eh?”

Laura nodded as she snuggled into him, knowing he was right. “You’re right,” she agreed, as he grinned and quipped, “Of course I am,” which brought a smile to her face as well. “Now.. how about we get some more sleep eh? Unless of course you ah.. need something to relax you a bit more?” Remington suggested with a cheeky lift of an eyebrow, knowing that he could best show her how much he loved her by his actions rather than his words. 

“Why – what did you have in mind Mr Steele?” Laura asked, her fears forgotten as she gazed into his eyes.  
“Well I thought a bit of mixing business with pleasure might be in order – we’ve always been so good at that after all,” Remington murmured as he began planting little kisses on her face. “We have, haven’t we?” Laura agreed as she brought her lips to his, her nightmare fading from her mind as she proceeded to make more pleasant memories with the man of her dreams…


	24. Chapter 24

Three days later..

Remington stood at the front of the makeshift aisle on the beach with Monroe and Jackie by his side, trying his best to hide his nerves. “Relax mon ami,” Monroe told him with a smile, “You have done this before you know.” Remington nodded in agreement. “Yes you’re right my friend - twice in fact but I’m not really counting the first one.”

“I thought an old canon like you would have controlling your nerves down pat by now,” Jackie piped up cheekily as Remington flashed him a rueful grin. “Well when it comes to marrying the love of my life again mate all that cool, calm demeanour flies out the door I’m afraid,” he confessed, just as the string quartet began playing the bridal waltz and his and Laura’s nearest and dearest who were assembled there to witness their second nuptials, turned around to watch the bridal party walk down the aisle. “Good luck Mick,” Monroe stated with a smile as he gave his old friend an encouraging pat on the shoulder and the three men turned around as well. Remington fidgeted a little with the carnation in the lapel of his cream coloured linen suit as he tried to settle his nerves.

Frances and Donald’s youngest granddaughter, three year old Lily, walked down the aisle first scattering rose petals as she did so, then spying her mother Laurie Beth she forgot about the rose petals and ran up to her. Frances then followed her granddaughter down the aisle, then Olivia walked down, looking stunning in an aqua coloured dress. She caught her fiancé Richard’s eye as she walked past him, the two of them sharing a smile, both looking forward to their own upcoming wedding. As she took her place at the front of the aisle next to her aunt her father winked at her as she beamed happily at him and mouthed “Relax Dad.”

He then took a deep breath as he looked down the aisle to see Laura appear, a vision in a white, flowing dress that was simple but elegant and a sprinkle of flowers in her chestnut hair which she had left down. She had chosen to walk herself down the aisle, deciding that as it was their second marriage and given her age, she didn’t need anyone to ‘give her away’. She was giving herself to Remington and he to her. 

As she began walking down the aisle she felt surrounded by love from their assembled family and friends but mostly from the man who had first captured her heart all those years ago, their eyes meeting as he stood waiting for her, waiting to start the rest of their lives together. 

As Remington watched her walk towards him, he felt tears coming to his eyes – she looked every bit as beautiful as she had done when they had married the first time, well not on the tuna boat, but the big church wedding they had when they had done it properly. And even though the attire they were now wearing was much less formal than they had worn then, the love and devotion they had for each other was still the same - in fact it was deeper than it had been back then. They now had a new understanding and respect for each other and the absolute certainty that they were each other’s soul mate – two halves of a whole that had survived the pain of loss and separation to be brought together stronger than ever.

Laura too found tears of joy springing to her eyes as every step she took brought her closer to Remington – closer to her heart. After what seemed like an eternity she reached his side, her dimpled smile mirrored by his lopsided grin. “You look beautiful my love,” Remington murmured as he took her hands in his, his blue eyes shining with emotion. “You don’t look so bad yourself Rem,” Laura replied, a matching twinkle in her deep brown eyes as she took in the sight of him in his suit and sky blue shirt. “You shaved,” she observed with some surprise as she tenderly traced a hand along his clean shaven jaw. “Thought it might make me look younger,” he quipped with a grin as he covered her hand with his own and kissed it. 

“I was kind of getting used to the beard,” Laura stated with a dimpled smile as Remington cocked a mischievous eyebrow at her. “Don’t worry- it’ll grow back,” he whispered in her ear, the two of them caught up in their own little world until the celebrant coughed conspicuously to get their attention.

“Ah excuse me you two – I think we have a wedding to perform here,” the celebrant laughed as did the gathered guests. Remington and Laura shared a sheepish smile and apologized to the celebrant who waved away their apology with a warm smile. “Not a problem,” she stated, “But now that I have your attention, how about we get you two married again hey?”

Both Remington and Laura smiled and nodded as they joined hands and faced each other and the celebrant began the ceremony. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls – we are gathered here today to celebrate once again, the marriage of Remington and Laura. A true union of hearts and souls who have found their way back to each other.” 

Laura and Remington exchanged a loving glance at the celebrant’s words as they gave each other’s hands an affectionate squeeze. “Laura and Remington have written their own vows - so who would like to go first?” the celebrant asked.

“Ladies first,” Remington stated as Laura smiled and rolled her eyes at him and murmured under her breath, “Chicken,” as he grinned and pretended to look offended. “Really Laura – here I am just trying to be a gentleman..” he stated as she laughed and shook her head at him. 

She then looked into his eyes and began saying her vows. “Around thirty six years ago you walked into my life Rem and turned my life upside down,” she stated with a smile as Remington shot her a wry grin. “Little did I know then that you were everything I could have dreamed of and more. And even though I let you get away, I never stopped loving you Rem. So I feel so very blessed to have been given another chance to be your wife and move on from our past to look towards our future. 

It seems a lifetime ago now, but we were near here on a case once, and funnily enough we were undercover as a married couple. I wrote a list back then of your most endearing qualities but I never actually gave it to you. So I’ve written a new list, which includes what I wrote back then but also some additional things.”

With that Laura pulled a piece of paper out and began reading.

“1. The way you always stick up for the underdog.  
2\. Your loyalty to your loved ones.  
3\. Your encyclopedic knowledge of movies,” she said with a laugh as Remington chuckled himself, as did their gathered loved ones, then she continued.

“4. The amazing father you are to our daughter.  
5\. The way you always know the right thing to say to make me feel better.  
6\. Your wit and your charm.  
7\. Those gorgeous blue eyes of yours that see into my very soul.  
8\. Your actions which have shown me time and time again how much you care about me.  
9.Your heart of gold.  
10\. The way you accept me and love me for who I am."

Remington’s happy smile was mirrored by Laura as she put the list away then took both his hands in hers again. “Rem - I could never have dreamed up a man quite like you and I promise you I will love you for the rest of my days We have been through a lot you and I but we’ve come through it all, stronger than ever. I know now that our destinies are forever intertwined and I want nothing more than to start our life over again.“

“Me too my love,” Remington whispered as he winked at her.

It was then his turn to say his vows. Remington cleared his throat, and then looking into Laura’s eyes he began speaking. “Laura – it seems we’ve read each other’s minds again,” he stated with a smile. “As you said, a lifetime ago so it seems we walked along this very beach together, and I gave you a list of what I thought were your most endearing qualities. I still remember what that list said and I’ve added a thing or two, so if you’ll allow me I’d like to share it with you again and all our loved ones as well, as you have just done for me.”

Laura smiled and nodded as he pulled a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and began reading. 

“1. Your strength, courage and determination  
2\. Your amazing intellect  
3\. Your kind heart  
4\. Your beautiful brown eyes  
5\. The lilt of your laughter and your dimpled smile  
6\. Your passionate, impulsive, and dare I say it, sometimes wild side  
7\. The gorgeous dappling of freckles on your skin  
8\. Your adorable penchant for circuses and cotton candy  
9\. The absolutely amazing mother you are  
10\. The way you make me a better man and accept me not only for who I am but for who I used to be.”

Laura, today I feel like the luckiest man alive as I’ve been given a second chance at happiness – a chance to do it right this time. You truly are my other half and I cannot be complete without you. You have given me so much – my name, my profession for a good many years, our beautiful daughter, “as he cast a loving look Olivia’s way,” and your trust and your love. I promise I will love you for the rest of my days.”

The celebrant smiled encouragingly at them both then she asked for the wedding rings. Remington looked expectantly at Monroe who made a show of checking his pockets. “Ah I’m sure I’ve got them somewhere mon ami..,” Monroe stated as he smiled apologetically as Remington started to look worried. “Monroe..mate..you do have them don’t you?” he asked in a warning tone, his eyebrows knitting into a frown.

At that a wide grin spread across his old friend’s face as he pulled the rings out of his pocket. “Gotcha Mick,” he laughed as he winked mischievously at him. “You should have seen your face old man,” Jackie laughed as well, as Remington shook his head at the both of them, shooting them both a withering look, although he was very much relieved. “You two will keep,” he stated with a rueful grin as they both grinned back at him.

The celebrant then took the rings, which were Remington and Laura’s original wedding rings which they’d had melted down and refashioned as a symbol of their new commitment to each other and the new life together they were about to start. She then handed Laura’s ring to Remington and said, “Remington please repeat after me.”

Remington took the ring as he smiled at Laura, then taking her left hand in his he put the ring on her ring finger. “Laura, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion. I promise to love, cherish and honor you, forsaking all others for as long as we both shall live,” he pledged his love for Laura, his eyes never leaving hers, as her dimpled smile lit up her face.

Laura then took Remington’s wedding ring and placed it on the ring finger of his left hand saying, “Remington, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion. I promise to love, cherish and honor you, forsaking all others for as long as we both shall live.” As she recited her vows, both of them felt tears of joy coming to their eyes as they reaffirmed their love and devotion for each other, the emotion of the moment overwhelming them both. As Olivia watched her parents, she too felt tears springing to her eyes, as they were finally back together where they belonged and they could be a united family once again.

“By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.. again. You may now kiss,” the celebrant announced. ”About time,” Remington quipped with a cheeky lopsided grin. “I’ll say,” Laura agreed with a cheeky smile of her own as he pulled her into his arms and brought his lips to hers. Their first kiss as newlyweds was tender at first, full of emotion, both of them overjoyed to be husband and wife again. They then gave into their desire, which was as strong as ever, as the kiss deepened. To the two of them it felt like they were the only ones there, wrapped up in their own little world, oblivious to the applause and cheers of their guests. When they finally drew apart they were both beaming from ear to ear, neither of them quite believing they were married again.

As they went to walk down the aisle together as their loved ones clapped and whistled, an older Latino gentleman who Laura hadn’t noticed before, suddenly got up from his seat holding a small accordion. Laura looked at him quizzically as she recognized something familiar about him, then she gave her husband a questioning look. “Rem.. where do I know that man from?”

Remington put a finger to his lips, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he nodded surreptiously to the man who said in heavily accented English, “Lawrraaa and Reemington – I had the privilege of marrying you for the first time. Now I would like to give the gift of song to you to celebrate your marriage today.”

Upon hearing his accent, particularly the way he said her name, Laura suddenly realised who he was. And when he started singing “Feelings’ it was confirmed. “Juan? The tuna boat captain?” she asked Remington with a laugh as he nodded with a cheeky lopsided grin. “I had a hell of a time trying to track him down but I thought it would be a nice touch don’t you think?” he replied. 

Laura couldn’t help but giggle as she hugged him and Remington wrapped her in his arms. “You crazy, romantic, old fool,” she murmured with a smile while Juan serenaded them. “Yes I am crazy my love– crazy about you,” Remington confessed, his blue eyes twinkling with his love for her as he planted a kiss on her head. “So Mrs Steele – I think a celebration is in order don’t you think?” he asked, both of them liking the sound of ‘Mrs Steele’. 

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea Mr Steele,” Laura agreed with a smile, then with their arms around each other they led their daughter and future son-in-law and the rest of their loved ones to the awaiting marquee where their wedding reception was going to be held.


	25. Chapter 25

The reception was a joyous celebration of Remington and Laura’s reunion and recommitment to each other, the happy couple enjoying the party with their nearest & dearest and especially with each other. At one point in the evening, Remington took a moment to sit down, the smile never leaving his face and his eyes never leaving Laura as she talked and laughed with some friends, her dimpled smile lighting up her face. “Glad you two finally saw the light,” Bernice commented with a smile as she came and sat next to him. “Ah Miss Wolf - I couldn’t agree more,” Remington replied with a smile as Bernice laughed at him still calling her Miss Wolf.

“Still calling me that hey Skeeziks?” she retorted cheekily, using her old nickname for him as well. “You know I haven’t even been a Wolf or a Fox for that matter for years now.”

“Now I wouldn’t say that,” Remington chuckled, laying on the charm as Bernice laughed as well. “Still the same old charmer hey?”

“And yet my so called charm never worked on you Bernice – well except maybe for the first day we met when you offered to make me a fresh pot of coffee or water, if I recall correctly,” he observed as she nodded in agreement. “Well that was because I could tell, even before you two could I think, that you and Laura were meant for each other. Sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into the two of you,” she admitted with a rueful grin. “Even more so when Laura told me you were getting divorced,” she added as she gave him a meaningful look. 

Remington nodded, an earnest expression on his face. “I wish you would have – would have saved us eighteen years of heartache,” he replied, shaking his head a little. Keen not to dampen his mood, Bernice stated wisely, “Well the important thing is you both realised you belong together and you’re here together again now and you’ve got the rest of your lives to make up for that lost time.”

Remington smiled at her. “Indeed we have Miss Wolf, indeed we have,” he replied. “Now go get your girl and enjoy your night,” Bernice urged him with a smile as she patted him on the shoulder and he gave her a grateful peck on the cheek. 

Just as he got up to make his way to his bride, Olivia borrowed the microphone form the MC to make an announcement. “Mom, Dad – I’d now like to invite you onto the dance floor for the bridal waltz. Richard and I have a bit of a surprise for you which is our wedding gift to you,” she stated cryptically. Remington walked up to Laura and asked, “Any idea what that girl of ours has got planned?”

“None at all,’ Laura replied with a smile, both of them wondering what she was up to. “Well I’ll guess we’ll find out eh? Shall we Mrs Steele?” Remington asked with a twinkle in his eye as he extended a hand to Laura. “We shall Mr Steele,” she replied with a loving smile as she put her hand in his and he led her onto the dancefloor as the main lights went down and they were illuminated only by the fairylights that adorned the marquee. 

As Remington took Laura into his arms, the first strains of John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ began playing. They smiled at each other as the lyrics began and then looked up in surprise when they realised that someone there was actually singing them, and that someone was revealed to be John Legend himself as he stepped out from behind a curtain. “What the..?” Remington remarked with a laugh as did Laura, their looks of delighted surprise bringing a smile to their daughter’s face as she and Richard high fived each other at their surprise going to plan. 

As John Legend continued singing, Remington and Laura began swaying together to the music, holding each other close and sharing a smile, the lyrics of the song seeming perfect for them.

What would I do without your smart mouth?  
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out  
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down  
What's going on in that beautiful mind  
I'm on your magical mystery ride  
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright

My head's under water  
But I'm breathing fine  
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind  
'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning  
'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, oh oh

How many times do I have to tell you  
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too  
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood  
You're my downfall, you're my muse  
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues  
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you

My head's under water  
But I'm breathing fine  
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind  
'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning  
'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, oh oh

Give me all of you  
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts  
Risking it all, though it's hard

'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning  
'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you.

As they danced, their eyes never left each other’s, the two of them so glad to be back in each other’s arms where they belonged. As they shared a tender kiss their gathered guests whistled and applauded which brought a grin to both of their faces. “I can’t wait to be alone with you my love,” Remington whispered in Laura’s ear as she nodded against his chest, whispering back, “Niether can I,” as they exchanged a meaningful look. Once the song ended they walked off the dancefloor to thank Olivia and Richard for their lovely surprise, as well as John Legend himself. “Thankyou Mr Legend – that was amazing,” Remington said gratefully as he shook his hand heartily. “You’re very welcome and please call me John,” he replied with a smile. 

“How on earth did you two arrange this?” Laura asked Olivia and Richard. “Well we were talking a few weeks ago about the wedding and I mentioned you’d chosen ‘All of Me’ as the song you were having for the bridal waltz and Richard told me he knew someone who knew someone who knew John,” Olivia explained with a smile. “So I got his number and got in touch with him and lo and behold he said yes,” Richard added with a grin.

“Oh it was my pleasure folks. When Richard told me your story I knew I had to do it – my parents actually also got divorced before reuniting, so I guess it’s a story close to my heart,” John stated with a smile as they all heartily thanked him and he congratulated Remington and Laura, before they invited him to stay for the rest of the reception. The happy couple then turned to their daughter and future son-in-law and thanked them, hugging them both. “It was the least we could do – I’m just so happy to see you both happy again,” Olivia replied with tears of happiness. “So are we princess,” Remington replied as he put an arm around Laura who nodded in agreement with an affectionate smile, “We sure are.”

After a couple more hours filled with dancing , eating, drinking , some heart filled speeches and the happy couple cutting their wedding cake, it was finally time for them to take their leave. “Have fun you two,” Richard said with a grin as he and Olivia bade them farewell. Olivia piped up, as her father had done at her birthday party, “But not too much,” a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes that were so like her father’s. Grins crossed both her parents faces as her father replied, trying to feign innocence, “Of of course not – we’re both so tired we’ll probably go straight to sleep – isn’t that right my love?”. Laura tried to keep a straight face as she replied cheekily, “Well maybe not straight away,” flashing him a promising look as she did so.

Remington’s lopsided grin got broader in reply as he thought of the wedding night ahead of them, then he stated, “And on that note – we’re out of here. Come on Mrs Steele,” as he grabbed Laura’s hand and they departed with a wave to their guests who clapped them and waved back. 

Once outside they jumped into the awaiting limousine, their faithful chauffeur for many years, Fred, coming out of retirement for the night to do the honours. He greeted them with a smile as they got in. “To your honeymoon suite Mr and Mrs Steele?” he asked as Remington grinned and patted him on the shoulder, “Yes indeed Fred my good man – and don’t spare the rubber”, Laura laughing and nodding in agreement..

******************************************


	26. Chapter 26

Before too long Fred pulled up in front of the Beverly Wilshire hotel, the happy couple thanking him as he retrieved their bags out of the trunk. “Congratulations again Mr and Mrs Steele – so good to see you folks back together again,” he stated with a smile as he handed the bags to a porter. “Thank you Fred. You know I think that’s the most you’ve ever said to me”, Remington quipped with a grin as Laura smiled as well and Fred grinned back. “Well chauffeurs aren’t paid to talk, they’re paid to drive Mr Steele,” he replied drolly as Laura gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek. 

“Well we appreciate the many years of service you gave both of us Fred, not to mention tonight,” she said gratefully as Remington nodded in agreement and shook Fred’s hand. “As my wife said,” Remington remarked, both he and Laura delighted that he was able to refer to her as such again, “We owe you a lot mate – all those car chases and always being there when we needed a lift somewhere, no matter how early or late. No to mention all those backseat conversations you must have overheard and were always so discreet about.”

Fred smiled at the two of them. “What conversations?” he asked with a wink as both Remington and Laura laughed. “Ah Fred my good man they do always say discretion is the better part of valour and that describes you to a tee,” Remington chuckled. “Well the honour has been all mine Mr Steele- having the privilege of being in your employ all those years. We certainly had some adventures didn’t we?” Fred replied.

“We certainly did - and we couldn’t have done it without you Fred,” Laura stated as he tipped his cap to the both of them with a smile then bid them adieu.

“So Mrs Steele – ready to continue our evening?” Remington said with a twinkle in his eye as he turned to Laura and offered her his arm. “Am I ever Mr Steele,” Laura replied with a matching twinkle in her eyes as she linked her arm with his and they walked into the hotel together.

As they walked into the spacious lobby and looked around, Remington couldn’t help but rattle off “This reminds me of Pretty Woman - Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Touchstone Pictures, 1990.”

“Oh I loved that movie,“ Laura remarked with a smile. “Yes I seem to recall you were rather taken with that Richard Gere fellow when we saw the movie together,” Remington stated with a slight pout as Laura tried not to laugh. “Oh he’s handsome enough I guess, but you should know by now Rem that I prefer my men with blue eyes and mysterious pasts,” she replied as they stopped walking and she put her arms around him.

“Men?” Remington cocked an eyebrow at her, picking up on her choice of words, as he pulled her closer to him. “Well one man in particular,” Laura responded, her dimpled smile lighting up her face as she rested a hand on his chest. “Good to know,” Remington murmured as he brought his lips to hers. 

When they finally drew apart Remington flashed a lopsided grin at Laura saying, “Well I guess we better check in eh Mrs Steele?”. 

“Yes I guess we better Mr Steele,” Laura replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as hand in hand they walked over to the check in desk. “Good evening my good man - we’re Mr and Mrs Steele,” Remington greeted the desk clerk as his smile got even broader and he squeezed Laura’s hand affectionately. “Ah of course Mr and Mrs Steele - the honeymoon suite right?” the clerk replied with a smile as they both nodded. “Well on behalf of the Beverly Wilshire, congratulations on your wedding. Enjoy your stay,” he added as he handed them the keys to their suite. They both thanked him, Laura stating mischievously, “Oh we will,” as she gave Remington a promising look and they headed towards the elevators. 

Once they reached the honeymoon suite Remington opened the door then just as Laura was going to step inside he stopped her. “Uh uh – not so fast Laura.” In response to her questioning look he scooped her up into his arms, just like he’d done on their first wedding night. “I need to carry my bride over the threshold,” he quipped with a grin as Laura replied with a grin of her own and a laugh, “Well in that case – home James,”, just as she’d done years ago when they’d been in Acapulco investigating a case. Back then Laura had decided to momentarily put her fears aside and make the most of the fact they had the honeymoon suite in the hotel to themselves for a while - well so she’d thought when she’d jumped into his arms, only to find an unconscious Mildred lying on the bed, which put a quick stop to any thoughts of a romantic interlude with the man of her dreams. 

But there were no such interruptions or complications now – it was just the two of them, finally back together where they belonged, in a beautiful room with all the time in the world to spend in each other’s arms. Remington’s lips found Laura’s as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him with his foot. 

He gently set her down as the two of them looked around the large, plush suite with a smile, their eyes drawn to the large king sized bed. “I won’t be able to find you in there it’s so big,” Remington chuckled as he cocked a mischievous eyebrow at Laura. “Oh you’ll find me Rem,” Laura replied, her sultry look matched by her husky tone as she trailed a finger down his chest. Remington visibly swallowed – after all these years the effect she could have on him with just a look or a word, let alone a touch, was still as strong as ever. “Indeed I will,” he replied with a grin, his eyes running appreciatively over her slim form. 

He then turned to the ice bucket which contained a bottle of champagne provided by the hotel. “Champagne Laura?” Remington asked as he opened the bottle. “Well it’s not a magnum but I guess it’ll have to do,” Laura replied with a cheeky dimpled smile. “Guess so,” Remington chuckled as he poured them both a glass. 

“To us,” he then said as he raised his glass to Laura’s. “To us,” Laura echoed as they both took a sip, their eyes never leaving each other’s. “I still can’t quite believe we’re here Rem, after all this time,” Laura confessed. At that Remington nodded and put his glass down, then taking Laura’s from her put it down also. “I know the feeling. But here we are despite everything or maybe even because of it,” he stated wisely as he took her hands in his, gently rubbing a thumb over her fingers. “I think, as hard as it was, we needed that time apart to truly appreciate what we had together,” he continued, his eyes filled with emotion.

“As the saying goes – you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” Laura agreed as she curled her fingers around his. “Precisely my love,” Remington replied with a smile. “Well I know one thing – I am going to do it right this time,” he added as he took Laura into his arms.

“Oh you do it right every time Rem,” Laura responded with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she linked her arms around his neck and a boyish grin crossed his face. “Oh I do eh?” he quipped as she nodded, then taking him by the hand led him over to the bed.

“You know you do,” Laura whispered as she sat down on the bed, Remington shrugging off his jacket and loosening his tie as he stood in front of her. “Well then, no time like the present eh Mrs Steele?” he stated as he lovingly cupped her cheek in his hand. “No time indeed Mr Steele,” Laura agreed as she covered his hand with one of hers while her other hand pulled off his tie then started undoing the buttons of his shirt.

Remington groaned involuntarily as she ran a hand over his chest, his reaction bringing a smile to her face. “Speaking of doing it right..” he murmured with a grin as she wasted no time trailing her hand over his stomach, coming to rest on his belt buckle.

“Well I want to keep my husband happy don’t I?” Laura stated with a warm smile. “Oh you certainly do that my darling wife,” Remington responded, his blue eyes burning with passion. With that, Laura pulled him down onto the bed next to her as he began running his hands over her as well, taking his time and driving her crazy in the process. He first ran a hand down one of her arms, his touch setting her on fire like it had always done. He then traced a lazy circle on one of her palms as he brought his lips to hers, demanding and receiving a very strong response. He then trailed his fingers back up her arm to caress her collarbone, then ever so slowly dropped his hand a little lower, his action rewarded by a sigh from Laura. 

Spurred on by her reaction, he followed his hand with his lips, slowly pushing her dress down before removing her bra, a delighted grin crossing his face as he did so. While he continued to arouse her, Laura decided to do some of her own, her hand brushing over his very obvious arousal which was straining against his trousers. “Lauraaa..” he breathed against her lips. “Yes Rem?” she asked seemingly innocently as her hand closed more firmly over him. He flashed her a rueful grin as he shook his head at her saying, “Oh two can play that game my love,” as he ran a hand up one of her legs before resting in between them.

Laura instinctively arched her hips toward him, yearning for his touch. “All in good time my dear – we’ve got all the time in the world,” Remington chuckled softly but Laura wasn’t in the mood for waiting. “That may be so but I think we’ve wasted enough time over the years don’t you think Rem? I need you,” she murmured, her actions mirroring her words as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers, and the desire filled look she gave him sent any further thoughts of drawing it out any longer from his mind. 

“As I do you Laura,” Remington confessed, his words mirroring his actions, realizing as usual, that it was futile to argue with his wife. He had known Laura long enough to know once she had set her sights on something there was no stopping her – not that he had any intention of doing that. “Well.. if you insist my love,” he remarked with a grin as Laura replied with a meaningful look, “I insist.”

She then pulled him down to her, the two of them hastily removing the rest of each other’s clothes. “I love you Laura,” Remington murmured as they sealed their reunion in every sense of the word. “I love you too Rem,” Laura whispered as she brushed a stray lock off his forehead, as they expressed their love in the best way they knew how, both of them so happy to be husband and wife again, knowing that was their true destiny and the only version of their lives that made sense…

***********************************************************************  
The rest of their honeymoon was spent as they started it – in each other’s arms as they took a trip down memory lane, touring various locales in Europe and the UK whilst making more memories as well. They paid a nostalgic visit to Ashford Castle whilst in Ireland, which was now being run as a successful hotel by Mickeline’s grandson, who warmly welcomed back the former “Lord and Lady’ of the estate. They also enjoyed the romantic locales in Paris before hopping over to Rome & Florence, exploring the history and art together. 

Whilst admiring one particular painting in a gallery in Florence and noticing the expression on Remington’s face Laura whispered in his ear, “Please tell me you didn’t steal that one in your former life.” He grinned at her and shook his head, “Oh no, no of course not,” as she breathed a sigh of relief before he quipped cheekily as he nodded towards the one next to it, “That one though..” as Laura shot him a look and playfully hit him, not sure if he was pulling her leg or not.

London was their last stop before heading home to LA. With a degree of pride Remington showed Laura around the headquarters of the Chalmers Foundation that he had set up with the money Daniel had left him, to provide a safe haven and opportunities for underprivileged kids. Kids like he had once been, a life time ago it now seemed. A young boy with no prospects, very little education but plenty of street smarts, who grew into a brash,angry young man who had met a mentor who took him under his wing and taught him all he knew – a mentor who turned out to be his father. But the person who had really turned his life around and gave him both the opportunity and the belief in him that he could be something more than the lot he’d been given in life, was the woman standing next to him, he reflected with a smile as he watched her talking to some of the young street kids. 

They then headed to the flat Remington had lived in during the time he had resided in London following their divorce, where he finished packing up his things with Laura’s help. “It’s a lovely place Rem,” Laura remarked as they taped up another box, ready to be shipped back to Los Angeles. Remington paused for a moment and looked around the flat. “It’s nice enough I guess but it was never really a home - not without you,” he stated as he took Laura into his arms, holding her close to him as she nestled into him. “Well with that thought in mind – are you ready to go home Mr Steele?” Laura asked with an affectionate smile. “I’ve been ready since the moment I left Mrs Steele,” Remington confessed with a matching smile, both of them keen to resume their married life now that fate had brought them back together..

*************************************************  
Epilogue

Olivia and Richard picked her parents up from the airport when they flew back into LA after their month long honeymoon, the two couples greeting each other fondly. When they got back to Laura’s house, which she would now share with her husband, the four of them sat down to chat for a while over tea and coffee.  
“So how are the wedding plans going?” Laura asked Olivia and Richard who shared a look and a smile. “Good, good,” Olivia replied then added, “Actually we’re thinking of bringing the date forward a bit.”

Both her parents looked at her a bit surprised. “Oh - why’s that princess?” Remington asked as he took a sip of his tea. At that Richard put an arm around Olivia as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, just like her mother did when she was feeling nervous about something, which her mother immediately picked up on. 

“Sweetheart? Are you ok?” Laura asked with concern. 

“Yes, yes I’m fine Mum. It’s just well..um..,” Olivia faltered for a bit as Richard gave her an encouraging smile then he said, “Well ah.. what Liv’s trying to say is…”

“Mom, Dad – you’re going to be grandparents,” Olivia suddenly blurted out as both Remington and Laura looked stunned, Remington spluttering his tea in shock. “What?! You’re pregnant?” Laura found her voice first as Olivia and Richard nodded in confirmation. “It was a bit of a surprise for us too – not exactly planned but well we’re very happy about it. We found out a week ago,” Olivia replied as Laura smiled, thinking to herself that it was a case of history repeating itself in a way - they hadn’t exactly expected Olivia to come along so soon after she and Remington got married.

She still remembered the day they had found out she was pregnant - she’d been feeling off for a while but hadn’t really thought pregnancy was a possibility as she’d been on the pill. But then she’d remembered she’d had a round of antibiotics for the flu a month or so before which may have had an impact on the pill’s effectiveness she realised. She still remembered the look on Remington’s face when they discovered the results to the pregnancy test – he had tears of joy in his eyes and his lopsided grin had lit up his whole face. And now here was their little girl about to become a mother. “Oh congratulations! I’m so happy for you both!” Laura exclaimed with tears in her eyes as she hugged them both heartily.

Olivia then turned to look at her father. “Daddy – you haven’t said anything,” she stated, suddenly worried what his reaction was going to be, as was Richard who started to get a little nervous. At that a smile crossed Remington’s face. “I’m just trying to process the fact that my little girl is going to be a mother,” he replied then added, “But I am very happy for the both of you – that’s wonderful news,” as he got up and hugged them both. “Now I’m entrusting you with my daughter and grandchild mate,” he said to Richard with a serious look as he patted him on the shoulder. “I’m very aware of that sir and I am going to be with Liv every step of the way,” Richard reassured him as Remington nodded with a grateful smile then said with a chuckle, “Now if she’s anything like her mother you’re going to need chocolate and lots of it to satisfy those nighttime cravings,” as Laura rolled her eyes at him.

Later on that night after Olivia and Richard had left, Remington and Laura sat down on the lounge together, glad to be home and also excited about their daughter’s news. “I can’t believe we’re going to be grandparents Rem,” Laura stated as he nodded in agreement. “Niether can I - I mean we’re too young to be grandparents aren’t we?” he chuckled with a twinkle in his blue eyes as he put an arm around her.

“I wonder if the baby will be a boy or a girl?” Laura mused as Remington smiled. “Well my dear, as my old friend Marcos used to say,think of the possibilities eh,” he replied as Laura laughed, the two of them now having another reason to look forward to what the future may bring….

THE END


End file.
